LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Seeing action for the first time in 13 days, the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team fell by a 3-0 margin (21-25, 17-25, 16-25) in its Ohio Valley Conference opener this evening at Little Rock.
The Skyhawks (2-8, 0-1 OVC) were guided by a match-high 10 kills out of Jenna Vallée while Katie Cruise distributed a match-best 23 assists. Kayla Bryant and Makaelah Paulino each landed a team-high two service aces while Dylan Mott (match-best 19 digs) and Cruise (team-high three blocks) shored up the UT Martin defense.
Six tie scores and three lead changes occupied the opening set. The Skyhawks scored six of the first 10 points and held a 10-9 lead after back-to-back service aces from Bryant. The Trojans (6-8, 1-0 OVC) went on a 10-4 run and were able to take the early lead in the match by a 1-0 margin. Vallée was responsible for a team-high four kills for UT Martin in the first set.
A half-dozen Skyhawks accounted for UT Martin’s first eight points of the second stanza before Little Rock unreeled four unanswered points. During the latter stages of the set, the Trojans went on a 6-1 run before a Skyhawk service error gave Little Rock a 2-0 advantage in the match. Mott scooped up nine digs in the middle set alone.
Kills from Vallée, Kylie Surratt and Bryant helped UT Martin get off to a good start in the third set but the Trojans turned a one-point lead into a 15-6 advantage following a 9-1 run. Little Rock later scored seven unanswered points and although Surratt slammed down three consecutive kills to stave off match point, the Trojans would close out the match. Surratt had five kills against only one error in 10 swings (.400 hitting percentage) in the third and final set.
The Skyhawks will look for a series split tomorrow at 2 p.m. when the two sides duke it out on ESPN+.
