The Morehead State Eagles paid the UT Martin Skyhawks a visit to the Skyhawk Fieldhouse for a two-game OVC series, where the Eagles won both games.

The Skyhawks did not get off to a great start in game one. The first set slipped away from them, as the Eagles won 25-19.

“Yeah, I was disappointed with our first set performance,” said Coach Jaclynn Wilson. “I felt like we didn’t show up to play. That’s just not the way we train.”

The Skyhawks struck back in the second set, getting the first point of the set with a kill from freshman middle blocker Rylee Key. The second set was neck-and-neck with both teams exchanging the leads throughout the set. The Skyhawks managed to win the set 25-21.

Going into the third set, the Skyhawks again earned the first kill coming from senior setter Dylan Sulcer, her first of the game. The Eagles fought back and took the lead until a kill from sophomore outside hitter Chyler Martin returned the lead to the Skyhawks and made the score 8-7.

The Eagles and Skyhawks exchanged leads once more until the two teams were tied at 24-24, needing to win the set by two. An attacking error by the Eagles made the score 25-24 Skyhawks, until a Skyhawk attacking error made it 25-25. Consecutive attacking errors by the Skyhawks gave the Eagles the third set, 27-25.

Needing a win in the fourth set, the Skyhawks gave up the first point to the Eagles on another attacking error. A kill by sophomore middle blocker Sophie Diouf got the Skyhawks on the board 1-1.

A service error made it 2-1 Eagles, then a following service error made it 2-2 Skyhawks. Sulcer gave the Skyhawks the lead with a service ace, 3-2 Skyhawks.

The fourth set remained tight and back-and-forth, with both teams exchanging blows and capitalizing on errors. The Eagles were nearing towards the win, with the score being 23-21. A kill by junior middle blocker Luli Arcucci made it 23-22. Following that, Diouf earned a kill to keep the Skyhawks in it, 23-23.

A Skyhawk service error gave the Eagles the lead, 24-23. Arcucci struck again with another kill to tie it at 24. Junior opposite hitter Maddy Gladson then made it 25-24 Skyhawks after she got her 11th kill of the game. Two consecutive kills by Eagles senior outside hitter Hollan Everett gave them the lead, 26-25.

Diouf once again stepped up with an important kill to make it 26-26. Everett came up with a kill to make it 27-26 Eagles. Gladson’s 12th kill tied it at 27. Eagles freshman outside hitter Ella Warrick made it 28-27. Gladson stayed hot with her 13th kill to tie it once more for the Skyhawks, 28-28.

Another kill by Warrick made it 29-28 Eagles. A dramatic service ace by sophomore outside hitter Riley McCloskey gave the Eagles the win, and silencing the Skyhawk crowd. The Eagles won game one, 3-1.

Despite the loss, the Skyhawks did well offensively. Gladson led with 13 kills, while Martin and Diouf each had 11 kills respectively. Sulcer led the team with 34 assists.

Defensively for UT Martin, sophomore middle blocker Carly Mueller had four blocks, with Key having three. Junior libero Lauren Mariscal had 14 digs along with Gladson’s 11. Mariscal had high praise for her teammates.

“I think it’s definitely an amazing thing that we have such big hitters up there,” said Mariscal. “I really trust them, and I trust that I can do my job and I trust that they can do their job. It definitely makes it easier to do my job. We talked about it in the locker room, playing for your teammates, playing for your friends, playing for something that’s bigger than you. I feel that’s the biggest thing that helps us push for more.”

Coach Wilson felt the Skyhawks showed up despite the loss.

“Other than the first set, I thought our girls showed a lot of fight and kind of turned it around. We made too many errors, and they out blocked us a lot,” said Wilson. “I expect our girls to fight, that’s what they do everyday in the gym. I’m not happy with their fight, because that’s what we expect; I can walk away and know that we went down swinging.”

“This is our home court and so to have anyone come in and beat us on the home court doesn’t feel good. They left a lot out there on the court so it’s tough to walk away from,” said Wilson.

The Eagles had a great first set to start game two of the series, winning it 25-17. The Skyhawks only managed eight kills in the set.

The second set was a similar story. Everett once again proved to be a threat to the Skyhawk defense, racking up seven kills alone in the second set. The Eagles took set two, 25-18.

Looking to avoid a 3-0 sweep, the Skyhawks needed to win set three. Junior setter Reagan Hamm got the first kill of the set for the Skyhawks, down 1-2. The Skyhawks fought to an eventual 7-4 lead, until the Eagles managed to tie it at seven.

The Skyhawks and Eagles remained close to even until the Eagles had a 17-13 lead. An Morehead State attacking error made it 17-14. Two consecutive service aces by junior outside hitter Mari Haas put the Skyhawks back in it 17-16. A bad set by the Eagles tied it at 17. The offense, led by Gladson and Diouf, managed to win the set, 27-25.

The Skyhawks couldn’t hold on to their momentum going into the fourth set. The offensive duo of Warrick and Everett combined for 10 kills in the final set, with the Eagles winning it 25-18.

For game two, Gladson and Diouf tied for the lead in kills with 10. Sulcer had 24 assists, while Hamm had 12.

Sulcer and Diouf also proved valuable on defense with 11 digs for the duo, followed by Mariscal with nine digs. Key led with seven blocks, and Mueller had four.

The Skyhawks will look to get back on track with a matchup against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at the Skyhawk Fieldhouse in Martin.