MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin clicked on all cylinders offensively this evening, turning away Southern Indiana in three sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-23) in Ohio Valley Conference volleyball action at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.
UT Martin hit .216 with 51 kills this evening – its most kills in a three-set match in 2024. Four Skyhawks combined for 47 of those kills with a .345 hitting percentage between them as reigning OVC Freshman of the Week Kylie Surratt (match-high 16 kills on a .286 attack percentage), Kayla Bryant (12 kills on a .290 hitting percentage), Maddy Gladson (11 kills in 19 swings, .526 attack percentage) and Addy Vaughn (eight kills on 18 attempts, .389 hitting percentage) all shined.
Hannah Haislip divvied out a career-high 24 assists while Katie Cruise added 17 assists, helping UT Martin’s offense run smoothly throughout the night.
Defensively, Dylan Mott compiled a match-high 21 scoops (7.0 digs per set clip) while Bryant’s 12 digs gave the junior out of Louisville, Ky. her third double-double of the season. Gladson rejected a career-best five blocks while Vaughn swatted away four blocks at the net for the Skyhawks, who improve to 4-13 overall and 2-6 in league play.
UT Martin hit .250 in the opening set, setting the tone for an energetic evening on the offensive end. The Skyhawks overcame an early deficit thanks to a 7-0 run which featured a pair of Surratt kills. The Screaming Eagles (8-14, 3-7 OVC) recovered to briefly take an 18-17 advantage but UT Martin was responsible for eight of the final 11 points, wrapped up by Surratt’s seventh kill of the first set. The freshman from Maryland Heights, Mo. hit .462 with one error in 13 swings in the opening set in another bigtime performance.
Bryant had three kills in the Skyhawks’ first five points of the middle stanza. She soon added two kills and a service ace in a six-point stretch that resulted in a 17-13 UT Martin advantage. After Southern Indiana closed to within two points at 23-21, Vaughn took over with back-to-back kills to boost the Skyhawks to a 2-0 lead in the match. Bryant had six kills (on a .375 attack percentage) and seven digs in the second set to guide UT Martin.
The match was trending towards a fourth set as the Screaming Eagles jumped out to a 14-7 lead in the third stanza. Gladson then took over as the freshman out of St. Louis, Mo. delivered four kills and a block assist during a pivotal 8-0 surge that gave the Skyhawks the lead. The score was knotted at 23-all but an assisted block from Gladson/Kristin Phillips and a Surratt kill capped off the season sweep of Southern Indiana. Surratt had seven kills against just one error in the final set while Gladson had five kills in eight tries (.625 attack percentage).
UT Martin goes on the road for its next four outings, starting with a two-match trip to Western Illinois on Friday, Oct. 25 through Saturday, Oct. 26.
