Senior Rebecca Palmer hit .395 and led all players with 18 kills as the Skyhawk volleyball team honored her with a 3-1 victory over Murray State on Senior Night.

“I was excited tonight because I knew we could beat Murray, and we’ve been practicing to beat them,” Palmer said. “We’ve had a great team all season; we just haven’t really come together. Tonight all of our teammates had each other’s back and it was a really fun game,” Palmer said.

The Skyhawks overcame an early deficit in each of the first two games. The games were close throughout, but the Skyhawks were able to maintain an advantage as a result of their aggressive approach on offense. They tallied four aces in the first game, led by Shelby Knose with two.

After leading by as many as seven points, they withstood a late MSU rally to hold on for a 30-25 win. Neither team hit particularly well in the game.

The Skyhawks won despite committing three service errors and hitting only .190. MSU hit a mere .105 in the game. Each team committed eight errors.

MSU led 4-2 shortly after the start of game two before Kathryn Sprague pulled the Skyhawks even with a couple of kills. Inspired by her play, the team went on a run to surge ahead, 11-7, and forced an MSU timeout.

Following the break, the Skyhawks picked up right where they left off. An ace by Jamie Hollins made the score 15-9 in favor of UTM. The lead continued to build behind strong play around the net. The Skyhawks claimed total control of the game, forcing another MSU timeout leading 23-15. The Racers then went on a run to make the game close.

Although their lead was dwindling, the Skyhawks were able to hold on, scoring the final two points to claim a 30-27 win. Palmer picked up five kills in the game for the Skyhawks. MSU out hit UTM, .261 to .260.

Game three went to the Racers by a score of 30-26. The Skyhawks fell behind early in the game, struggling to win the battle at the net. MSU built momentum with the help of UTM’s six errors.

Trailing 15-9, the Skyhawks mustered a brief run to force an MSU timeout, but it did little to change the flow of the game. They put together another run near the end of the game, pulling to within two points at 26-24 on an ace by Tammy Konitzer. They then put up a valiant effort to fend off two game points trailing 29-24 before falling. The Skyhawks hit .154 in the game compared to .156 for the Racers. The Skyhawks entered game four eager to close out the match. They claimed control by taking a 6-2 lead early with a kill by Sprague and an ace by Sarah Jett.

The lead ballooned to 12-5 before an MSU run trimmed it to 12-9. That was just a speed bump for the Skyhawks’ momentum, however. The team kept its focus and maintained the lead. MSU again pulled to within three points later in the game before the Skyhawks pulled away. A kill by Dimphy Sasse made the score 25-20 in favor of the Skyhawks, who won the game, 30-23. After the match, Palmer reflected on her past four years as a member of the Skyhawk volleyball team.

“I am going to miss my teammates the most. I would have liked to have been a part of another winning program but I know that they’re building one now. I’m happy to be a part of it,” Palmer said.

“I feel really good about this match,” said Skyhawk head coach Amy Draper. “I feel like the girls are finally able to take the information we’ve given them on both ends of the court and really execute. We knew Murray’s game plan and we had our game plan.”

When asked about her senior player, Draper acknowledged the presence Palmer has had on the team this season.

“I think there will definitely be a missing link without Becca around. She has been a huge hitter for this team and we are going to miss her a lot,” Draper said.