This upcoming stretch for UT Martin is only the fourth instance of a five-match OVC homestand in school history. The Skyhawks also hosted five consecutive OVC opponents in 2011, 2006 and 1998 – going 11-4 in those matches. UT Martin has won three straight matches (all sweeps) against Eastern Illinois at Skyhawk Fieldhouse, including a pair of decisions on Feb. 21-22 as part of the shortened 2020-21 campaign.
Winners of five of its last six matches, UT Martin (6-10, 2-1 OVC) is coming off an exhilarating five-set triumph at Southeast Missouri on Wednesday – its first victory in Cape Girardeau since 2015. In that match, the Skyhawks – who won the first two sets of the match – faced a 12-8 deficit in the decisive fifth set before coming through for seven of the final eight points down the stretch. UT Martin turned away 19 blocks at the net – its highest total in an 89-match span (since Sept. 2, 2018).
Karen Scanlon (team-highs of 12 kills, 16 digs) and Haeleigh Paulino (23 assists, 13 digs) helped guide the Skyhawks against Southeast Missouri while Zoe Merriweather (career-bests of 10 blocks and nine kills) and Logan Wallick (nine kills, career-best eight blocks) narrowly missed out on double-doubles.
Merriweather has been a menace to the opposition at the net – rejecting 2.10 blocks per set in league play and 1.26 blocks per set overall – topping the league in both categories. As a team, UT Martin ranks first in the OVC with 3.25 blocks per set against conference competition.
Overall, Scanlon paces the Skyhawks in kills (135, 2.29 per set) and total blocks (47) while Paulino accounts for a team-high 387 assists (6.56 per set) and 14 service aces. Defensively, Baillie Kearns' 3.46 digs-per-set average leads UT Martin as the freshman libero out of St. Louis, Mo. has cracked double-digits in the digs column a dozen times this fall.
Eastern Illinois (7-5, 0-2 OVC) won seven of its first eight matches of the season but enters the weekend on a four-match losing streak. That includes a pair of road sweeps at Murray State during the OVC-opening weekend on Sept. 24-25. The Panthers have tallied the most service aces (2.00 per set) in the OVC and boast the league's co-leaders in that category in Lorraine Perez and Kylie Michael (0.44 per set apiece).
Danielle Allen owns a team-high 3.14 kills-per-set average while Emily Wilcox tops the OVC with a .328 hitting percentage. Summerlyn Smith has also proven to be an effective facilitator this season as she was named OVC Setter of the Week on Sept. 13. The Eastern Illinois defense is headed by Christina Martinez Mundo (4.45 digs per set) and Kameryn Sillmon (0.90 blocks per set).
Both matches this weekend will be streamed live on ESPN+. Those links - as well as a link for live stats for both days - can be found at the top of the webpage.
RED-HOT SKYHAWK VOLLEYBALL SQUAD CRANKS UP SEASON-LONG FIVE-MATCH HOMESTAND THIS WEEKEND AGAINST OVC RIVAL EASTERN ILLINOIS - UTM Athletics
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