CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The University of Tennessee at Martin faced some stout competition on the first day of the 2024 Islander Classic, falling by a 4-1 margin to Texas and 5-0 to No. 20 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Water’s Edge Park.
A total of 10 Skyhawks saw playing time today with the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 pairings staying the same for both matches. UT Martin’s No. 5 team of Kayla Carrell/Reagan McGee performed well throughout the day, securing the team’s lone win against the Longhorns this morning.
As a team, the Skyhawks (9-7) more than held their own against Texas. Carrell/McGee outlasted their opposition with a 21-16, 30-28 marathon victory to improve to 7-1 on the season. A pair of matches each went into tiebreaking third sets as Sydney Eckhardt/Dylan Mott (21-17, 13-21, 15-12 at No. 2) and Ryan Rednour/Addy Vaughn (14-21, 21-14, 15-10 at No. 3) were each able to win one set apiece before narrowly falling. Olivia O’Keefe/Jenna Vallée represented UT Martin at No. 1, falling 21-13, 21-10. Haeleigh Paulino/Kristin Phillips teamed up once again at No. 4 but fell 21-12, 21-18.
The second match of the day was a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament. Carrell/McGee put up quite a fight but fell 21-18, 21-18 while Mott/Vallée teamed up for the first time this season at No. 1 (falling 21-17, 21-15). Eckhardt/O’Keefe also joined forces for the first time this spring, battling before dropping a 21-17, 21-13 decision at No. 2. Rednour/Vaughn and Paulino/Phillips completed the Skyhawk lineup, falling at 21-11, 21-12 at No. 2 and 21-10, 21-13 at No. 4, respectively.
UT Martin is right back at it tomorrow, taking on UTEP at 9 a.m. and Stephen F. Austin at 12:45 p.m.
