The Skyhawk volleyball team pulled off one amazing comeback this weekend but failed to repeat the performance as they split matches with Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State.

The Skyhawks dropped the first two games against the Lady Colonels before rallying to complete an unlikely 3-2 win.

Errors proved to be a problem for the home team throughout the weekend as they were reapeatedly unable to build momentum as a result of their mistakes.

The first game remained close until a string of Skyhawk errors allowed the Lady Colonels to pull away to a comfortable lead and ultimately win the game, 30-21.

In the second game, the Skyhawks got off to another slow start, falling behind by as much as 14-5.

Following the break, the home team made a brief comeback but could not find enough momentum to pull themselves back into the game.

The EKU coach did her part to affect the dynamics of the game by repeatedly arguing with the officials about various calls.

Her outbursts had a negative impact on her own team, however, and helped the Skyhawks to make a run late in the game. The Skyhawks pulled to within six points on a few occasions during the game but could not come any closer. A string of errors late in the game sealed their fate as the Lady Colonels won by a 30-22 score.

The third game was close throughout as the two teams traded points from the start. Neither team could claim a lead of more than two points until the Lady Colonels took a 20-16 lead. At that point, the Skyhawks refused to go down without a fight. They rattled off a string of points to take a 24-21 lead and force an EKU timeout.

The Lady Colonels answered the Skyhawks’ burst with one of their own to even the score at 25. The Skyhawks then closed the game with a run to win 31-29 and force a fourth game.

The emotional charge created by the Skyhawks’ rally in the previous game carried over early in the fourth game as they claimed a lead. The Skyhawks took complete control of the game early on and never relinquished their lead.

Junior Jamie Hollins and senior Tammy Konitzer both made key serves that helped the team gain critical points. An ace by Konitzer gave the Skyhawks a 26-19 lead before the Lady Colonels attempted a comeback. Their rally proved to be futile, however, as the Skyhawks held on for a 30-23 win.

The Skyhawks’ win in game four evened the match at two games each and forced a winner-take-all fifth game. Jett came through in a big way for the Skyhawks in the fifth game, tying the score at 2-2 and then giving the Skyhawks a 5-3 lead.

The Lady Colonels attempted to regain their composure during a timeout but could not reverse the momentum of the game as the Skyhawks went on to win 15-9. The win completed the Skyhawks’ unlikely comeback.

“This match has finally shown how mature this group of young ladies are. It showed how determined they are to reach the goals the have set for themselves. After the first couple of games we could have lay down and died or come out and fight,” said UTM head coach Amy Draper.

On Saturday, the Skyhawks looked to build on their emotional win from the previous night as they faced second-place Morehead State. Unfortunately, their luck had run out as they came out flat and suffered a 3-0 sweep at the hands of the Lady Eagles.

The Skyhawks struggled with errors throughout the match. They fell behind 7-3 in the opening game before pulling even with a brief run. The Lady Eagles then pulled off a significant run that sealed the win as they scored 16 of the next 23 points to take a 23-10 lead. The Skyhawks attempted a comeback but came up short in the end 30-25.

The Skyhawks struck first in the second game and led 7-5 following an ace by Konitzer but once again found the lead slippery.

It eluded their grasp as a result of errors that helped the Lady Eagles jump on top 11-10. The Skyhawks forced an MSU timeout by taking a 16-15 lead. Following the break, the Lady Eagles pulled away for good en route to a 30-25 win.

The Skyhawks entered the third game hoping for a repeat of Friday’s comeback but it was not to be.

They fell behind early once again and found the uphill climb too tough to overcome.

The Lady Eagles forced a Skyhawk timeout by stretching their lead to 17-5. The Skyhawks then made a surge of their own to pull to within 25-21 before falling 30-23.

With the loss, the Skyhawks’ record fell to 14-6 overall and 3-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The team is currently alone in fourth place in the OVC, one game behind SEMO and Tennessee State.

The team will return to action this weekend when they play host to Eastern Illinois and SEMO. The last-place Lady Panthers will invade the fieldhouse on Friday at 7 p.m. while the third-place Lady Redhawks will pay a visit to UTM on Saturday at 2 p.m.