The UTM volleyball team fell in the second match of the Jacksonville State series today as the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)-leading Gamecocks claimed a 25-8, 25-14, 25-21 win at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
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Offensively,Ā Karen ScanlonĀ recorded a team-high seven kills with zero errors, hitting .368 to pace the Skyhawks.Ā Logan WallickĀ andĀ Addy VaughnĀ each followed closely behind with six kills whileĀ Kenzie HinshawĀ handed out 22 assists. Defensively,Ā Dylan MottĀ led UTM in digs for the seventh time this season as the freshman from Hendersonville, Tenn. accumulated seven scoops.
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The Gamecocks (14-0) scored the first three points of the match before aĀ Lauren O’NeillĀ kill put the Skyhawks on the scoreboard. Wallick followed with back-to-back kills before three consecutive UTM points came via kills fromĀ Jessica Reynolds. However, Jacksonville State pieced together 14 of the final 16 points to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Skyhawk tandem of Wallick and Reynolds each had three kills to top the squad in the opening set.
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Kills by Scanlon and Reynolds helped UTM take an early advantage in the second stanza but the Gamecocks rallied for a 9-1 run. Vaughn andĀ Lucy KaufmanĀ were responsible for a pair of kills midway through the set as the Skyhawks worked to chip away at their deficit but Jacksonville State maintained control to claim a 2-0 advantage. Scanlon (three kills), Hinshaw (eight assists) and Mott (three digs) were the individual leaders for UTM in the second set.
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A pair of Gamecock attack errors opened the third set as the Skyhawks began with a 3-1 advantage. After Jacksonville State went on a 12-4 run, UTM pulled within a single point after a 7-2 surge of its own. Vaughn slammed down a pair of kills during the run, which was capped off by a Mott service ace that whittled the Skyhawk deficit to 15-14. The Gamecocks responded with four unanswered points but Scanlon stepped up with three consecutive kills to keep UTM alive. However, the Skyhawks would not get any closer than three points the rest of the way. Scanlon had four kills on eight swings (.500 hitting percentage) to pace UTM in the final set.
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The Skyhawks wrap up the regular season next week at home, taking on in-state OVC foe Austin Peay. Dates and times for the final two matches will be announced soon.
