SATURDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 3, Southern Indiana 0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-10)
@Lindenwood 3, Tennessee Tech 1 (25-20, 15-25, 25-15, 25-16)
@SIUE 3, Little Rock 2 (24-26, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 15-12)
Eastern Illinois 3, Southeast Missouri 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-20)
UT MARTIN 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - – Karen Scanlon became only the 10th player in University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball history to dial up 1,000 career kills as the Skyhawks upended Southern Indiana in three sets (25-21, 27-25, 25-10) this afternoon.
A graduate student from Scottsdale, Ariz., Scanlon achieved her milestone towards the end of the first set. She became the first UT Martin player since Emily Keaton (2011-14) to secure 1,000 career kills.
Logan Wallick led the Skyhawks in kills for the fourth time in the last five matches today, piling up a match-high 13 kills on a .310 hitting percentage. Angel Baylark added nine kills on a .571 attack percentage while Scanlon and Mia Saenz each provided eight kills apiece. Haeleigh Paulino and Addy Vaughn split duties at setter, dishing out 16 and 14 assists, respectively.
Defensively, Dylan Mott scooped up a match-high 16 digs while Kambree Lucas chipped in 10 digs. Saenz paced all players with six blocks while UT Martin also held an 8-0 edge in service aces.
The Skyhawks (12-8, 6-1 Ohio Valley Conference) were in complete control from the onset as the lead only changed hands once during the entire match. A pair of Wallick kills early on provided UT Martin with a 4-1 advantage. Scanlon then caught fire – slamming down four kills in the span of 10 points to put her on the verge of history. The Screaming Eagles pulled within one point at 21-20 but Scanlon’s 1,000th career kill helped spur a set-ending 3-0 run, capped off with a Kayla Carrell service ace. Scanlon’s five kills led the way for the Skyhawks in the opening stanza.
The duo of Saenz and Wallick played a big role in UT Martin’s quick start in the second set – each producing a kill and a block assist which led to a 3-0 Skyhawk lead. Paulino was responsible for back-to-back kills and soon landed a pair of aces on consecutive serves to stretch the UT Martin advantage out to 16-11. Baylark found empty space for a pair of kills as the Skyhawks closed in on another win with set point at 24-19. However, Southern Indiana unreeled a 5-0 run to even the score before a pair of Saenz kills helped UT Martin claim the set. Baylark had five kills on seven attempts for a sizzling .714 attack percentage in the middle set.
The Skyhawks used a 10-0 run during the third set to close out any chance of a Screaming Eagle victory. Lucas went on a personal 3-0 run (kill, back-to-back service aces) to make the score 8-5 in favor of UT Martin before the aforementioned 10 unanswered points. Wallick chalked up four kills and Mott had two service aces during the run to help put the match out of reach. Saenz tacked on a pair of kills in the latter stages of the set to help the Skyhawks complete the sweep. Wallick (five) and Saenz (four) joined forces for nine of UT Martin’s 12 kills while Mott and Lucas both recorded six digs each.
LINDENWOOD 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's volleyball defeated Tennessee Tech in four sets in Hyland Arena on Saturday afternoon.
And that they did, because the Lions were dominant in the beginning of set one, but gave the Golden Eagles a bit of breathing room as they looked to close in. Lindenwood was able to hold on to win 25-20, however, but Tennessee Tech answered back with a swift 15-25 victory in the second.
The Lions didn't back down come the third set, downing the Golden Eagles in a 25-15 win after fantastic offensive and defensive performances all around, along with some new faces coming in off the bench. Freshman Mia Kunnert got her first Hyland Arena minutes in her collegiate career, while Amber Schade came in to switch up the flow when the Lions found themselves struggling briefly.
The fourth set went back and forth for a bit, but the Lions were able to defend their home court for one more set, coming away with a 25-16 win. Six huge kills and the lone ace of the set from Taylor Gentemann were crucial for this victory.
Gentemann led the way for total kills on the day, recording 14 overall and an impressive .591 hitting percentage. The Old Monroe, Mo. native also knocked down a whopping five service aces, taking the lead in that category as well. Mackenzi Sifuentes also had a strong attacking day, recording 11 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, giving her the second highest offensive numbers for the Lions. Abby VanBuskirk put up 40 total set assists today, contributing to the Lindenwood offense tremendously.
Defensively, Jessie Seidel held down the fort with 21 total digs to lead the way for the Lions. Nyah Wilson had the most receptions of the day with 24 total, while Sifuentes had the highest number of blocks for Lindenwood, tallying five total throughout the match. Rebecca Janke was the lone Lion with a solo block today, making for one of many exciting moments throughout the day.
SIUE 3, LITTLE ROCK 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball closed its weekend series against Little Rock on Saturday afternoon, taking victory in five sets. The Cougars improved to 5-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play and 10-8 overall. The set scores were: 24-26, 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 15-12.
Little Rock bested the Cougars in the first set, holding SIUE to a 0.056 hitting percentage. The Cougars rebounded with a .281 attack percentage in the second to tie the match 1-1. With the Cougars leading 18-17 in the third, an 8-2 run by Little Rock gave the Trojans a one set advantage. SIUE would go on to take the final two sets and the match, 3-2.
SIUE finished the match with a .165 attack percentage while Little Rock ended with a .202.
Sydney Hummert finished with 24 kills on 50 attacks and added 15 digs for a double-double. She is the first player to record 20 or more kills in a match for SIUE this season.
Julia Treichel and Alyse Drifka also finished the match with a double-double. Drifka led the defense with 17 digs while dishing out 24 assists. Treichel notched 12 kills and 12 digs in the win.
The Cougars tied a season-high with 11 aces, led by Treichel who had five. Priscilla Jones had three aces and led SIUE with three blocks. Caroline Waite led the Cougars with 31 assists.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Eastern Illinois (12-8, 6-1 OVC) defeat Southeast Missouri (8-10, 3-3 OVC) for the second straight match. It marks the first time since the 2010 season that the Panthers swept SEMO in back-to-back matches. EIU has also swept their last four matches. The set scores were: 25-20, 25-17, 25-20.
The Panthers solidify themselves at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings with two wins against the Redhawks. EIU and UT Martin are tied for first place with a 6-1 record in conference play. The Skyhawks and Panthers will face-off in Lantz Arena next week.
The three headed attack of Giovana larregui Lopez, Kaitlyn Flynn and Lilli Amettis powered EIU on offense to a total of 43 kills. Larregui Lopez led the way for all attackers with 16 kills. Flynn continued her eight match streak with double digit kills with 13 on the night. Amettis had her fourth match with double digit kills with 12.
In all three sets, EIU posted at least 11 kills including 16 in both the first and second sets. They also posted a team high .324 hitting percentage in the second set where they held an 18-8 lead early on.
EIU held a .212 hitting percentage in Houck Field House Saturday evening while the Redhawks were held to a .080 percentage. The Panthers forced 20 attack errors against SEMO to help sweep them for the second consecutive night. SEMO was held to 29 kills.
Christina Martinez Mundo had a team high 18 digs in the win. She has posted double digit digs in all but one match this season. Martinez Mundo also chipped in six assists and one service ace. Flynn also recorded 11 digs for her second consecutive double-double.
Despite the 10 to three blocks advantage held by SEMO, EIU's defense continued to hold against the Redhawks' outside hitters. Ireland Hieb recorded two block assists while Emily Wilcox also added one. Wilcox had a team high three service aces from the back line. EIU had eight aces in total.
Catalina Rochaix and Summerlyn Smith continued to be that one-two setter punch that propelled the Panthers' offense. Rochaix led the team with 16 assists while Smith held her own with 14. Both had an aces in the match while Rochaix and Smith combined for 16 digs.
The Redhawks were led by Kayla Closset with 13 kills to lead SEMO. Tara Beilsmith, OVC leading libero, posted a match high 28 digs in the loss. Avery Torrey and Mackenzie Meehan were solid at the net on defense recording six and five block assists each. SEMO falls to 8-10 on the season with a 3-3 OVC record.