By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – In a tight vote for the right to be called preseason volleyball favorites in the Ohio Valley Conference, the University of Tennessee at Martin was predicted to finish third in the poll released this morning.
Five of the 11 OVC schools received multiple first-place votes as the Skyhawks tied Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech with six apiece. Overall, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech tied for first place with 168 points while UT Martin trailed closely behind with 164 points.
Eastern Illinois received two first-place votes and was fourth place with 156 points while Morehead State’s 134 points rounded out the top five. Tennessee State picked up a pair of first-place votes and was sixth with 126 points while Lindenwood (80 points), SIUE (78), Little Rock (58), Western Illinois (40) and Southern Indiana (24) completed the rankings, which were compiled from votes by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
The Skyhawks seized their first OVC regular season championship in 20 years last fall, racking up a school-record 15 league victories with only three losses. UT Martin won its opening-round matchup in the Women’s National Invitational Volleyball Championship for its first postseason victory in the school’s NCAA Division I Era (since 1992).
Seven of the Skyhawks’ 12 returners gained starting experience in 2022, including full-time starters Haeleigh Paulino (eighth in school history with 1,611 assists), Dylan Mott (fifth all-time at UT Martin with 3.58 career digs per set) and Mia Saenz (top-10 in OVC with 1.05 blocks per set and 40 service aces as a freshman).
Kayla Bryant (six starts), Addy Vaughn (three), Kayla Carrell (three) and Kristin Phillips (one) are additional returners who cracked the starting lineup last fall for the Skyhawks.
Defending OVC Coach of the Year Jaclynn Wilson also returns 2021 All-OVC middle blocker Olivia Saunders (fifth in Skyhawk history with a career .273 hitting percentage, 10th with 0.91 career blocks per set) and Zoe Merriweather (eighth all-time at UT Martin with 1.03 blocks per set) off injuries from last season.
The Skyhawks start the 2023 season on Aug. 25 against Marist as part of the Tennessee Classic tournament, which will take place in Knoxville, Tenn.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information
