Morehead, Kentucky โ The University of Tennessee at Martin theme remained the same at tonight's Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Championship Banquet, where the league announced eight Skyhawks earned nine postseason honors.
UT Martin Duo sidney eckhart/Dylan Mott and ryan redner/Addie Vaughn The Skyhawk pair were selected to the All-OVC first team. olivia o'keefe/ with Jenna Vallee Kayla Carell/reagan mcgi He was assigned to the All-OVC second team. Additionally, the league's head coaches and sports information directors voted McGee to the five-member OVC All-Freshman team.
Tonight's announcement marks Mott's third career All-OVC First Team selection, making him the first UT Martin representative (along with three different playing partners) to accomplish that feat. Carell joins Mott; logan warrick (2021-23) and Hayley Paulino (2021-23), Vaughn, O'Keefe and Valley earned All-OVC mentions for the second time in their careers as the only players in school history to earn All-OVC honors in three seasons.
Eckhardt and Mott battled for second place all season, posting a perfect record of 8 wins and 0 losses in league play, and a total of 18 wins and 7 losses. Their longest winning streak of the season was five straight wins (four against OVC schools) from March 14-23. They had solid nonconference wins against UTEP (March 3), Mercer (April 6), UNC Wilmington (April 7) and UAB (April 16).
Redner/Born played 93 percent of their games as a No. 3 pair and went 14-15 overall, but 9-1 in OVC play. The duo won a season-high six straight decisions in 10 days in March, dispatching five league teams in the process. Redner/Bone won the first seven games of the season, including two wins over co-OVC champion Chattanooga.
O'Keefe and Valley have teamed up 26 times this spring, all against stiff competition from the No. 1 pairing. The two have an 11-15 record and a 6-3 record against league opponents, heading into tomorrow's OVC Championship Tournament carrying the momentum from a 3-1 conference weekend. Also provided non-conference impressions against UTEP (March 3), Stephen F. Austin (March 30), Mercer (April 6), and Jacksonville State (April 10). He was proud of his victory.
Carell/McGee are playing primarily in number 5, but they also have wins together in number 4. The duo is 17-4 with an unblemished record of 9-0 in OVC play (not including a forfeit win against a league rival that would have ended the season 10-0). The duo won a season-high seven consecutive decisions from March 14-29, including five wins in the OVC and a win over Texas during that span.
Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, Maggie has had three different partners (Karel, Paulino, dylan sulser). She has won 17 of her last 21 decisions alongside Carell, including all nine OVC matchups (10 including the aforementioned opponent's forfeited win). Maggie is joined by her current teammates on the Skyhawks, Mott, Vaughn, Kayla Bryant As the only UT Martin player to be named OVC All-Freshman.
The three-time OVC regular season champions and No. 1 seed Skyhawks begin participation in the 2024 OVC Championship Tournament tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. PT, facing either No. 4 seed Morehead State or No. 5 seed against Tennessee Tech.