EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Tonight’s Ohio Valley Conference volleyball matchup between the University of Tennessee at Martin and Southern Indiana featured 41 tie scores and 23 lead changes before the host Screaming Eagles dealt the Skyhawks a 21-25, 27-29, 29-27, 22-25 setback.
Although UT Martin accumulated season-highs in kills (68) and digs (115), the four-set loss officially eliminates the Skyhawks (8-19, 6-11 OVC) from OVC Championship tournament contention.
Graduate libero Kayla Carrell became the 13th UT Martin player to accrue 1,000 career digs this evening, accomplishing that feat late in the second set. The Pensacola, Fla. native scooped up 23 digs and was one of four Skyhawks to tally at least 20 digs tonight.
A trio of UT Martin players compiled double-doubles this evening. Kayla Bryant came away with team-high tallies in kills (16) and digs (28), setting a career-best total in the latter category. Haeleigh Paulino (48 assists, 20 digs, six kills) and Addy Vaughn (10 kills, career-high 20 digs) also notched double-doubles for the Skyhawks.
Jenna Vallée hammered down 15 kills while Olivia Saunders (14 kills, team-best six blocks) for UT Martin, who also saw Dylan Mott scoop up 15 digs.
The Skyhawks led 11-8 in the opening set before the Screaming Eagles (13-15, 9-8 OVC) scored five of the next six points. UT Martin charged back to lead 16-15 courtesy of a Vallée kill but Southern Indiana ended the stanza on a 7-3 run. Bryant had a phenomenal 10 digs in the opening set.
The Skyhawks clawed back from a 10-3 deficit to achieve set point twice in the second stanza before the Screaming Eagles escaped with the win. UT Martin kept chipping away but eventually found itself down 21-16. The Skyhawks stormed back for an 8-1 run and eventually claimed set point at 27-26 but Southern Indiana reeled off three unanswered points. Bryant (six kills) and Vaughn (eight digs) paced UT Martin in the second stanza.
In the third set, the Skyhawks pulled off a gutsy win to keep the match alive. UT Martin led by a 10-6 margin but the Screaming Eagles had three chances at match point. A pair of Bryant kills – sandwiched around a Vaughn kill – wrapped up the set. Bryant had a near double-double in the third set alone (seven kills, nine digs) while Saunders (seven digs) and Paulino (18 assists) also stood out for the Skyhawks, who hit .250 in the third stanza.
UT Martin led for most of the first half of the fourth set, establishing some momentum to push the match into a winner-take-all fifth set. Vallée put down a kill to push the Skyhawk advantage out to 14-12 before Southern Indiana went on a 5-0 run. The Screaming Eagles led by as many as seven (23-16) but UT Martin scored six unanswered, capped off by a Carrell service ace. However, Southern Indiana recovered to score back-to-back points to end the match.
The Skyhawks conclude the 2023 campaign tomorrow when it goes for a season split against the Screaming Eagles. First serve from Evansville is set for 2 p.m.
