UT Martin Beach Volleyball holds final regular season home date tomorrow; Senior Day ceremony to take place prior to Austin Peay match
The UT Martin beach volleyball team will put its lengthy winning streak on the line Tuesday when it hosts regional rivals Austin Peay and North Alabama at the Skyhawk Beach Volleyball Facility.
Following a match between Austin Peay and North Alabama at 1:00, UT Martin will face North Alabama at 3:00 and Austin Peay at 5:00.
A Senior Day ceremony will occur before the Skyhawks’ matchup against Austin Peay.
Audrey Haworth, Brooke Kuball, and Logan Wallick helped lead UT Martin to OVC regular season and tournament championships in 2022 and a perfect 6-0 record in league play so far this spring. The trio has combined for 64 career victories and a remarkable .778 winning percentage against OVC opposition.
The Skyhawks are 16-6 overall and in the midst of a program-record 10-match winning streak, which is three victories longer than any previous stretch in school history. The streak began with UT Martin’s last home matches on March 21 as the squad has swept seven opponents and won the other three matches by 4-1 margins during its dominating run.
Tuesday will serve as the final opportunity for fans to watch the Skyhawks at home before UT Martin defends its OVC title when hosting the league championship on April 27-29.
The Skyhawks will look to avenge early season setbacks to both of Tuesday’s opponents as UT Martin was defeated twice in a road double dual at North Alabama (5-0, 4-1) on March 15 before falling 3-2 at Austin Peay on March 18. Kayla Bryant/Kayla Carrell scored a victory out of the No. 5 slot against North Alabama earlier this year while Haeleigh Paulino/Jenna Vallée (No. 4) and Lucy Kaufman/Addy Vaughn (No. 3) each collected wins in the previous matchup against Austin Peay.
On the season, the Skyhawks have won 76.4 percent of their head-to-head decisions. UT Martin accounts for identical 18-4 records at the No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 positions while also collecting a winning record (12-10) out of the No. 1 spot in the lineup.
Individually, Vallée and Vaughn lead the way with 18 victories apiece while Kaufman, Paulino, Kambree Lucas and Olivia O’Keefe follow closely behind with 17 each. Carrell (16), Dylan Mott (13) and Bryant (12) have also cracked double figures in the win column so far in 2023.
The team of Paulino/Vallée have pieced together an impressive 12-match winning streak at No. 4 while Kaufman/Vaughn (11-match streak at No. 3) and Lucas/O’Keefe (10-match streak at No. 2) have also experienced much recent success. Carrell has also won 10 consecutive matchups at No. 5 as she has split time with Bryant and Haworth as her partners.
