Gintare Mackeviciute, who was an All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) performer with the UTM volleyball team last fall, has inked a contract to play for the Tchalou Volley organization based out of Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont, Belgium.
A 6-2 middle blocker out of Jonava, Lithuania, Mackeviciute becomes the first Skyhawk volleyball alum to advance into the professional ranks since Kelly Lean, who played at UTM from 2016-17.
Mackeviciute will join a Tchalou Volley squad coached by Ugo Blairon while the 2020-21 roster includes players from Belgium, Poland and Lithuania. Last season, Tchalou Volley was ranked ninth out of 22 teams in the Belgian Cup and 10th in the Belgian Liga A standings. The regular season schedule will tentatively run from October 2020 through March 2021.
After a two-year stint at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky – where she was part of the 2017 NAIA national championship squad – Mackeviciute starred at UTM under head coach Jaclynn Wilson. Mackeviciute ranks in the Skyhawks’ all-time top-10 in attack percentage (.290, fifth) and blocks per set (0.90, eighth). In addition, she piled up 479 kills (2.23 per set) and 193 total blocks over 57 matches played from 2018-19.
Last season, Mackeviciute nabbed All-OVC second team honors as she was one of just three UTM players to start in all 32 matches. She boasted a sizzling .337 hitting percentage against league opposition – ranking fourth in the OVC in that category – and swatted away at least three blocks in 18 different matches, including a career-best nine blocks at Southern Illinois on Sept. 17.
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