BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Tennessee at Martin beach volleyball team picked up another convincing win on the first day of the March To May tournament, defeating Houston Christian by a 4-1 margin. That victory evened the Skyhawks’ record on the season to 3-3 after UT Martin fell 5-0 to North Alabama this morning.
In the afternoon triumph over Houston Christian, the Skyhawks earned wins at each of the final four slots in the lineup. Riley Rushing and Dylan Sulcer claimed a 21-14, 21-19 victory at No. 2 to get the match started. After the UT Martin pair of Dylan Mott and Jenna Vallée fell 21-8, 21-14 at No. 1, the Skyhawks reeled off three consecutive wins to close out the match. Reigning Ohio Valley Conference Pair of the Week Kayla Bryant and Olivia O’Keefe stayed hot with a 21-16, 22-20 triumph at No. 3 before Sydney Eckhardt and Reagan McGee took the match-clinching point in their season debut together, outlasting the competition by a 24-22, 17-21, 15-9 margin. Ryan Rednour and Kylie Surratt put the finishing touches on the victory with a 21-18, 21-17 triumph out of the No. 5 position, also making their season debut alongside each other.
Earlier in the day, UT Martin competed throughout but fell to a North Alabama squad that improved to 5-4 on the season. Two matches went to third-set tiebreakers as the Skyhawks’ No. 2 tandem of Rushing/Sulcer narrowly fell 21-14, 23-25, 15-13 and UT Martin’s No. 3 duo of Bryant/O’Keefe were barely edged out by scores of 19-21, 22-20, 15-6. Mott/Vallée put up a fight before falling 21-16, 21-19 at No. 1 while the Skyhawk pairs of Eckhardt/Rednour (21-13, 21-14) and McGee/Kristin Phillips (21-17, 21-8) dropped decisions at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
UT Martin gets right back at it tomorrow, facing New Orleans at 10 a.m. before completing the tournament with a 2 p.m. matchup against Eastern Kentucky.
