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Volleyball opens with three wins in Wilmington tournament


The Tennessee-Martin volleyball team opened its 2006 slate by winning three out of four matches in the McAlister’s Battle at the Beach Tournament Friday and Saturday at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Junior Sarah Jett and sophomore transfer Taylor Noland were named to the all-tournament team.

The Skyhawks opened the tournament with a 32-30 decision over North Carolina-Greensboro, but then dropped three consecutive games (19-30, 23-30 and 22-30). North Carolina-Greensboro went undefeated in the five-team, two-day tournament.

Jett hit .409 and had a dozen kills against North Carolina-Greensboro, but tournament MVP Theresa Hart posted a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs against the Skyhawks. In the second match, the Skyhawks blanked Winston-Salem State, 3-0. The team hit a whopping .488 and piled up 53 kills, led by junior Kathryn Sprague’s 13 and Noland’s 11.

On Saturday, the Skyhawks posted a 3-0 victory over tournament host North Carolina-Wilmington. The Skyhawks won 30-27, 30-27 and 30-28.

The Skyhawks wrapped up the two-day tournament with a convincing 3-0 victory over South Carolina State. The Skyhawks posted a 30-12 win in game one and a 30-21 decision in game two. They sealed the victory with a 30-14 win in game three. The Skyhawks hit .425 as a team as second-year head coach Amy Draper was able to play 12 players in the three-game match.

The Skyhawks (3-1) will return to action Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1 and 2 when they play at Troy, AL, in the Troy University Labor Day Classic.

The Skyhawks will open the tournament on Friday against Memphis and then play Troy and Alcorn State on Saturday.