MARTIN, Tenn. – A pair of three-set decisions were in the cards for the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team today as the Skyhawks swept Arkansas-Pine Bluff (25-15, 25-17, 25-16) before falling in a close 26-24, 25-20, 25-23 decision against North Alabama on the first day of their home tournament.
UT Martin (2-3) displayed great offensive balance today, hitting .250 as a team while outscoring its two opponents by a 13-6 margin from the service line. Jenna Vallée led the way with 17 kills but was followed closely by Kristin Phillips (16), Kayla Bryant (15) and Kylie Surratt (15). Bryant hit a team-best .382 on the day with only two attack errors in 34 swings while Phillips also just committed two miscues in 38 tries for a .368 hitting percentage. Bryant also led the Skyhawks in service aces (four) while Katie Cruise accumulated 58 assists (9.67 per set).
On defense, Dylan Mott scooped up a team-best 27 digs (4.50 per set) while Addy Vaughn rejected a team-high five blocks (0.83 per set) today.
UT Martin wraps up its home tournament tomorrow, taking on Missouri State at 2 p.m.
UT Martin 3, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0
The Skyhawks hit .292 and held the visiting Lady Lions to an .094 attack percentage to make short work of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Four different Skyhawks (Vaughn, Bryant, Cruise, Surratt) accounted for the first four points of the match as UT Martin never trailed in the opening set. Bryant registered back-to-back kills and had a service ace in the span of five points midway through the stanza before Surratt’s set-ending kill gave the Skyhawks their biggest lead of the set at 10 points. Bryant’s four kills paced a UT Martin offense that hit .387 with 15 rally killers in the first set.
The second stanza was deadlocked at 10-all before the Skyhawks raced to the finish line with a 15-7 run. Bryant had four kills over a stretch of six UT Martin points before Phillips took over as she slammed down five kills out of the Skyhawks’ final seven points of the set. The tandem of Bryant and Phillips each provided five kills apiece in the second stanza as UT Martin hit a sizzling .382 as a team.
The Skyhawks never trailed in the third set, unreeling the first seven points of the set to gain a considerable early edge. Vallée’s fourth kill of the final stanza gave UT Martin an 11-2 advantage as the Skyhawks led by as many as 11 points down the stretch. Zara McCauley managed three kills in the final set alone in her UT Martin debut.
North Alabama 3, UT Martin 0
The two sides combined for 23 tie scores and 14 lead changes but the Lions came away with the three-set win in the second match of the day for both squads.
The Skyhawks led 10-4 in the first set but North Alabama took its first lead of the match at 17-16. Facing a 24-21 deficit, a Bryant kill and a pair of Lion errors helped even the score at 24-all but North Alabama recovered to score the final two points of the set. Vallée owned four of UT Martin’s 11 kills in the opening stanza.
Surratt managed three straight points (a kill followed by back-to-back service aces) to help the Skyhawks get off to a good start in the middle set. UT Martin held a 12-8 advantage after three kills by Phillips in a four-point span but the Lions scored eight of the final 11 points of the set to go on top by a 2-0 margin. Phillips (five kills, .444 hitting percentage) and Cruise (11 assists) guided the Skyhawks in Set 2.
The third set featured 10 ties and eight lead changes alone. Two early Vaughn service aces nudged UT Martin ahead early before a Bryant rally killer made the score 17-13 in favor of the Skyhawks. Back-to-back kills from Surratt and Vaughn gave UT Martin a 21-20 advantage before North Alabama ended the set on a 5-2 run. The Skyhawks managed a .213 attack percentage (13 kills against just three errors) in 47 swings in the third set but could not extend the match.
