MOREHEAD, Ky. – It came down to the third set on the final court today to decide a victor between the University of Tennessee at Martin and Chattanooga as the Skyhawks narrowly dropped a 3-2 decision in the third round of the Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Championship.
UT Martin claimed victories at No. 4 and No. 3 today. The Skyhawks’ No. 4 pair of Haeleigh Paulino/Kristin Phillips were responsible for a 21-13, 21-17 win – their 11th of the season and second in as many days at the OVC Championship tournament. Shortly thereafter, UT Martin posted another point on the scoreboard via a 21-17, 21-19 win by Ryan Rednour/Addy Vaughn out of the No. 5 slot. That marked the 15th win together for the All-OVC first team duo.
After the No. 3 pairing gave UT Martin a 2-1 edge in the match, the Mocs (18-9) were able to claim the last two decisions. The Skyhawks fell at No. 5 (21-18, 21-14) in the first wave of the day before falling at No. 2 (24-22, 21-11) and No. 1 (14-21, 22-20, 15-9).
UT Martin (16-16) will face No. 3 seed Lindenwood in an elimination match at 8 a.m. CT tomorrow. The victor will take on Chattanooga in a winner-take-all championship finals match at 11 a.m. CT.
