NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team started its second consecutive weekend on the road with a 3-0 setback at Tennessee State (24-26, 18-25, 19-25) this evening.
The Skyhawk duo of Kayla Bryant and Kylie Surratt each had team-highs of seven kills and seven digs tonight while Addy Vaughn tallied seven kills (on a .353 hitting percentage) and a team-best three blocks. Katie Cruise (20 assists) also helped guide the UT Martin offense while Dylan Mott, Makaelah Paulino and Cruise were each one scoop shy of a team-high in digs.
Despite the sweep, the match was a constant back-and-forth affair as 31 tie scores and 14 lead changes took place. The Skyhawks (4-16, 2-9 Ohio Valley Conference) led for a majority of the opening set until a 9-1 run made the score 22-16 in favor of the Tigers. UT Martin soon charged back to score seven unanswered and take set point at 24-23. However, Tennessee State was able to score the last three points of the stanza to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Vaughn had team-highs of three kills on five swings (.600 hitting percentage) and two blocks in the first set.
The second stanza played out similarly to the first as the Skyhawks controlled the score midway through until a lengthy Tiger surge. A Dylan Sulcer kill gave UT Martin a 15-12 advantage but a 9-0 Tennessee State run immediately thereafter flipped the momentum. A block assist from Vaughn and Jenna Vallée halted the Tiger run but the Skyhawks wouldn’t get any closer than six for the remainder of the set. Surratt hit .429 with four kills for UT Martin in the middle set.
Yet another long run cost the Skyhawks in the final set. The two sides toggled back-and-forth before Bryant landed three kills during a 7-2 run, resulting in an 11-9 UT Martin advantage. Another Bryant kill reclaimed the lead for the Skyhawks at 17-16 but ultimately Tennessee State ended the set by scoring nine of the last 11 points. Bryant was on fire during the third set, accumulating six of the squad’s 13 kills.
UT Martin looks for the series split tomorrow when the two sides tangle at 2 p.m. in Kean Hall on ESPN+.
