LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad was embroiled in a battle today at Little Rock but the Skyhawks fell by a 3-1 margin (23-25, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25) at the Jack Stephens Center.
In a highly competitive matchup that involved 32 tie scores and 12 lead changes, UT Martin received double-doubles from Kayla Bryant (10 kills, season-best 22 digs) and Katie Cruise (42 assists, 11 digs). Kylie Surratt led the Skyhawks with 16 kills and a .314 hitting percentage while adding nine digs. Jenna Vallée tacked on 12 kills with eight digs while Dylan Mott tied Bryant for the team lead with 22 scoops.
UT Martin (2-9, 0-2 Ohio Valley Conference) raced out to an 8-2 advantage in the first set and took a 15-11 edge after a Bryant service ace. The Trojans took their first lead of the match at 23-22 and despite the Skyhawks evening the score on the next point, Little Rock tallied back-to-back points to take a 1-0 advantage in the match. Bryant and Surratt each had a team-best three kills while Mott had eight digs in the opening set.
Storming back to even the match in the second set was UT Martin, who hit .261 with 17 kills in the stanza. The Skyhawks’ first three points of the set came via Surratt kills and the two sides swapped momentum to the tune of eight ties. Back-to-back kills by Surratt and Addy Vaughn gave UT Martin set point before a Trojan service error gave the Skyhawks the win in Set 2. Surratt had six kills with no errors on nine swings while Cruise compiled 14 assists in the second set.
Bryant landed a service ace to highlight a 4-1 UT Martin start in the third stanza. A Kristin Phillips kill pushed the Skyhawks ahead by a 13-9 margin but Little Rock scored 12 of the next 15 points to gain the upper hand. Three consecutive kills late by Surratt, Vallée and Bryant helped UT Martin pull to within 23-21 but the Trojans were able to close out the stanza. Surratt was responsible for team-highs of three kills and six digs for the Skyhawks in the third set.
Eleven ties and four lead changes took place in the fourth stanza. UT Martin led 8-5 thanks to kills from five separate Skyhawks. A kill from Vallée made the score 16-14 in favor of UT Martin but Little Rock answered with a 6-1 run. The Skyhawks would close to within a single point in the latter stages but the Trojans (7-8, 2-0 OVC) were able to hang on for the win. Vallée was on fire in the final set, slamming down six kills on nine attacks for a .667 hitting percentage.
UT Martin’s five-match road swing concludes on Tuesday, Oct. 1 with an OVC road matchup at Southern Indiana. First serve is set for 6 p.m. from Evansville, Ind. on ESPN+.
