UTM vs. TSU

The Skyhawk volleyball team won its third straight match as it cruised past fellow Ohio Valley Conference member Tennessee State, 3-0, on Thursday, Oct. 7.

In the first game, the Skyhawks built leads of 11-6 and 16-8 and pulled away for good following a TSU timeout, winning the game, 30-17. The Skyhawks out-hit the Lady Tigers by an amazing .452-.000.

Game two went to the Skyhawks by a score of 30-23. The difference in the second game was the Skyhawks’ serving. Senior Leigh Reiniche and sophomore Kim Tipton each recorded two service aces to lead the Skyhawks.

The Skyhawks cruised to a big lead early in the game before TSU rallied to within two points. In the end, however, the Skyhawks pulled away for the win.

The Skyhawks’ dominant serves were the difference in the third and final game as freshmen Kirsten Thompson and Shelby Knose combined for three service aces.

Behind the strength of their serves, the Skyhawks jumped out to a 14-7 advantage, eventually claiming the decisive game, 30-22.

The Skyhawks out-hit TSU .356 to .079 for the match and were led by Leigh Reiniche, who hit .625 with 16 kills for the match.

The Skyhawks improved their record to 5-9 on the season and 2-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play. Tennessee State suffered its eighth consecutive loss, falling to 3-16 overall and 0-5 in the OVC.

-- Brad Hurt

UTM vs. SIU

The UTM volleyball team (4-9) recorded its second consecutive win Tuesday night by knocking off Southern Illinois-Carbondale (4-12) 3-1 in Skyhawk Fieldhouse.

The Skyhawks won game one 30-16 and game two 30-26. Southern Illinois captured the third game 30-22, but the Skyhawks sealed the win with a 30-25 decision in the fourth game. With the win, the Skyhawks have evened the all-time series against Southern Illinois at 2-2.

The win marks the second time this season the Skyhawks have won back-to-back matches.

The Skyhawks posted a 3-1 Ohio Valley Conference win over Samford this past Saturday. Earlier this season, the Skyhawks beat Gardner-Webb and then defeated North Carolina-Greensboro.

“We have been talking a lot about serving and serve receiving and we put the pressure on them through our tough serving tonight,” said Chris Rushing, the Skyhawk head coach.

“Our setters did a nice job setting our quick attack, which opened things up for our outside hitters,” Rushing said.

Junior Rebecca Palmer, a middle hitter, led the Skyhawks with a .549 hitting percentage and 17 kills against Southern Illinois. Senior Leigh Reiniche, an outside hitter, recorded her second consecutive double-double of the season with 17 kills and 12 digs. Reiniche also racked up five service aces. With the five aces, Reiniche moves up to sixth on the Skyhawks’ career ladder list for aces with 106.

“Tonight, as well as this past weekend, Rebecca Palmer has played the way we knew she was capable of playing,” Rushing said. “She has come on strong.”

Tammy Konitzer led the Skyhawks with 14 digs. “She provided some nice defense to keep the ball in play throughout the match,” Rushing said.

Jaime Hinsenkamp led SIU with 16 kills and a .429 hitting percentage.

In game one, the Skyhawks cruised to a 9-1 lead and never looked back en route to the 30-16 win. Shelby Knose ended the game with three consecutive service aces. In all, the Skyhawks recorded seven service aces in the game.

The Skyhawks claimed a 30-26 win in game two. The game was tied eight times and the Skyhawks captured their first lead of the game at 18-17. The game was last tied at 22-all.

Southern Illinois denied the Skyhawks their second 3-0 win of the season by winning game three 30-22 and forcing a fourth game. SIU posted a .216 hitting percentage against UTM’s .022 hitting mark.

In game four, UTM claimed a 20-14 lead as freshman Kathryn Sprague recorded a solo block and then came back with a kill. Sprague’s consecutive points forced SIU to call timeout. The Skyhawks turned in a .349 hitting percentage in the game, while SIU hit just .159.

“We want to take this momentum into our upcoming OVC matches,” Rushing said.

UTM will close out their three-game homestand Tuesday, Oct. 12, against Murray State.

-- UTM Sports Information