CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball team battled this evening but fell 3-0 (19-25, 20-25, 12-25) on the road at Austin Peay in Ohio Valley Conference action at the Dunn Center.
Freshman Dallas Zimmerman led the Skyhawk offense with eight kills tonight, hitting .333 in 15 attempts. Allie Whimpey added seven kills while Amanda Crask tallied a game-high 26 assists for UT Martin (10-17, 6-7 OVC).
Defensively, Kasey Elswick scooped up a game-high 14 kills while Zimmerman had a hand in three blocks for the Skyhawks.
Early kills by Whimpey and Zimmerman gave UT Martin an early lead in the first set, but Austin Peay would lead 9-3. After a Lynsey Hazelwood kill made the score 10-5, the Lady Govs accounted for five straight points before another Hazelwood kill and a Crask service ace made the score 15-7. The Skyhawks remained down by eight (20-12) before a 3-0 run that featured a Taylor Simons kill and service ace, as well as a kill by Emily Keaton. UT Martin would eventually get within four points on two different occasions (21-17, 22-18) before Austin Peay closed out the set.
Whimpey and Zimmerman each had three kills in the first set for UT Martin, who hit .259 (12 kills, five errors, 27 attempts).
The Skyhawks fell behind 4-1 in the second set before a kill by Whimpey ended the drought for UT Martin. The Skyhawks stayed close until Austin Peay scored nine of 11 points during one stretch to take a 17-7 lead. However, UT Martin answered back with six straight points thanks to stellar play from Hazelwood (kill, service ace) and Zimmerman (kill, solo block). Back-to-back kills by Zimmerman and Whimpey pulled UT Martin within three points at 23-20 but the Skyhawk comeback bid was cut short when the Lady Govs came away with the final two points of the set.
Zimmerman had four kills while Elswick accumulated eight digs to lead UT Martin in the second set.
Austin Peay led 3-0 early in the third set but the Skyhawks responded with three straight points to tie the score at 3-all. The Lady Govs then reclaimed the lead but a kill by Simons sliced UT Martin’s deficit to 5-4, Austin Peay used a 6-0 run to go on top by an 11-4 margin. Jackie Harter slammed down a kill to make the score 13-6, but the Lady Govs once again went on a run – this time a 5-0 spurt – to make the score 18-6. A pair of kills by Keaton helped the Skyhawks score three of four points during one stretch but after the score was 19-9, Austin Peay scored five unanswered points on its way to claiming the set.
The Skyhawks will look to bounce back on Saturday, Nov. 3, when they go on the road to take on OVC West rival Murray State at 6 p.m.