By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information
MARTIN, Tenn. – A dominant fourth set put the finishing touches on yet another win for the University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team as the Skyhawks claimed a four-set triumph over Eastern Illinois (25-14, 19-25, 25-18, 25-13) this evening.
Tonight’s win improved UT Martin to 3-1 in Ohio Valley Conference action and 7-10 overall as it was the sixth victory in the last seven matches for the Skyhawks.
Karen Scanlon was responsible for her third double-double of the season with a match-high 15 kills and 11 digs for UT Martin. The senior from Scottsdale, Ariz. hit .414 with only three errors in 29 swings while also contributing four blocks.
Baillie Kearns accounted for match-highs in digs (18) and service aces (three) while Zoe Merriweather matched her career-high with 10 blocks for the second consecutive match. Kayla Carrell piled up 12 digs tonight as the Skyhawk defense came away with 14 blocks – limiting the Panthers to an .092 attack percentage in the process.
At setter, Haeleigh Paulino divvied out 22 assists while Addy Vaughn tallied 16 assists and five blocks for UT Martin, who hit .262 as a team.
The Skyhawks came out of the locker room fired up, scoring five of the first six points of the contest. UT Martin soon used a 10-2 run to open up a 16-7 advantage as Merriweather had three kills and a pair of block assists during that stretch. Wallick had back-to-back kills for the Skyhawks as Eastern Illinois wouldn’t get any closer than six points for the remainder of the stanza. UT Martin hit .379 in the opening set and the wealth was evenly distributed as Wallick, Scanlon, Addison Conley and Merriweather all had three kills.
It was the Panthers (7-6, 0-3 OVC) who took an early advantage in the second set as the Skyhawks faced a 5-2 deficit. A pair of Scanlon kills – sandwiched around a Kearns service ace – resulted in UT Martin pulling within one point (9-8) but Eastern Illinois recovered for an 8-3 run. Kills by Vaughn, Wallick and Francela Ulate down the stretch helped the Skyhawks get within four points but the Panthers held on to even the match at 1-1. Kearns’ four digs topped UT Martin in the second stanza.
A 5-0 run during the early stages of the third set gave the Skyhawks a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. Wallick powered through three kills off feeds from Vaughn as UT Martin made the score 9-7. After the Panthers managed to trim the Skyhawk lead to 12-11, Audrey Haworth delivered a pair of kills to give UT Martin some breathing room. The margin remained at one point (16-15) until the Skyhawks wrapped up the set on a 9-3 surge, capped off by a Scanlon kill. Kearns (seven digs) and Scanlon (three kills, three digs, three blocks) were the heroes for UT Martin in the third set.
The Skyhawks erased any doubts of an Eastern Illinois comeback in the fourth set, racing out to a 12-1 lead and notching 10 kills before their first attack error. Scanlon (three) and Haworth (two) joined forces for five kills during the 12-1 run to begin the stanza. UT Martin’s lead ballooned out to 18-4 soon thereafter as the Skyhawks cruised to the victory. Scanlon came away with six kills while Carrell managed seven digs in the final set.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information