Lynsey Hazelwood tallied team-highs in kills and digs for the UTM volleyball team but the Skyhawks fell 3-0 at Ohio Valley Conference rival Belmont (18-25, 17-25, 16-25) this afternoon.
A Louisville, Ky. native, Hazelwood hit .208 with eight kills against three errors in 24 attempts for UTM (8-16, 2-6 OVC). She also led the way with 12 digs for the Skyhawks.
Allie Whimpey added seven kills, Amanda Crask handed out 21 assists and Chelsea Bowles accumulated 10 digs for UTM.
Belmont scored four of the first five points in the first set but the Skyhawks battled back to tie the score at 6-6. The score was knotted at 9-9 until the Bruins scored five unanswered points. UTM sliced its deficit to 16-14 but Belmont answered with another 5-0 run to go on top by a 21-14 margin. The Skyhawks would get within six points on four more occasions but that would be as close as they would get for the duration of the first set.
Hazelwood had four kills in nine swings in the first set to pace UTM.
The Skyhawks trailed 6-2 to begin the second set but would get within three (8-5) when Crask slammed down a kill. Belmont extended its lead to 12-6 but UTM was responsible for three of the next four points to pull within 13-9. A Keaton kill got the Skyhawks back within three at 19-16 but the Bruins would close out the set on a 6-1 run.
Whimpey led the way with four kills for UTM in the second set.
UTM led 4-3 in the third set before four straight Belmont points resulted in a 7-4 Bruin advantage. The deficit remained at three points for the Skyhawks until a 5-0 Belmont run made the score 15-7. UTMwould claim seven of the next 11 points to get within five points at 19-14 but Belmont answered with three straight points on its way to a 6-2 run to end the set.
Hazelwood and Alisha Erves each had three kills in the final set to lead UTM.
The Skyhawks return home next weekend for a pair of matches against OVC East rivals. UTM will host Eastern Kentucky on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m., followed by a Saturday, Oct. 26 matchup against Morehead State at 2 p.m.
