Jessica Reynolds, a junior on the UTM volleyball squad, equaled a season-high in kills tonight but the Skyhawks dropped a three-set decision at Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) leader Jacksonville State.
Reynolds piled up a team-best 12 kills, tying her previous season-high set at Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 8. The Chandler, Arizona native also paced UTM with a .310 hitting percentage, committing only three errors on 29 swings.
Logan Wallick tacked on nine kills while Kenzie Hinshaw’s 21 assists helped guide the Skyhawk offensive attack. Defensively, Dylan Mott and Kayla Carrell tied for the team lead with 10 digs apiece for UT Martin (5-8).
Back-to-back kills from Reynolds keyed a 4-0 run in the first set, giving the Skyhawks a 5-3 advantage. The Gamecocks (13-0) went on a 7-3 run before kills by Zoe Merriweather and Wallick evened the score at 11-all. Jacksonville State then scored five unanswered points but UTM stayed within striking distance after an Addy Vaughn service ace pulled the Skyhawks within three points at 18-15. The Gamecocks followed with five of the next six points and despite a 3-0 UTM run late, Jacksonville State was able to take the opening stanza. Carrell scooped up six digs to top the Skyhawks.
The second set was back-and-forth early as a Wallick kill made the score 8-8 and was the sixth tie of the stanza. The Gamecocks went on a 4-0 run but back-to-back kills out of Wallick and Reynolds gave UTM temporary momentum. However, Jacksonville State was able to create some separation following a 12-4 run on its way to a 2-0 lead in the match. Reynolds was responsible for four of the Skyhawks’ 10 kills in the second set.
Wallick and Vaughn each put away kills early in the third stanza to help UTM take an early advantage. The Skyhawks fell victim to an 8-1 Gamecock run before Wallick heated up, notching three kills in a row midway through the set to keep UTM close. Jacksonville State went on a 6-1 run but the Skyhawks kept plugging away, compiling 10 of the next 14 points to inch closer. Unfortunately, the run came too late as the Gamecocks were able to convert match point. Reynolds (five) and Wallick (four) combined for nine of UTM’s 12 kills in the final set as the Skyhawks hit .257 (only three errors in 35 attempts).
UTM will go for a split in the season series against Jacksonville State tomorrow when the two sides square off at 4 p.m.
