MARTIN, Tenn. - Cori Harris turned in a season-high in kills but SIUE volleyball was defeated in four sets Saturday at UT Martin.

The Skyhawks, 11-7 overall and 6-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference, remained undefeated at home in conference play with a 25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 25-17 victory over SIUE, which stands at 7-14 overall and 2-7 in the OVC.

Harris was the big plus for the Cougars on offense with 15 kills. She also finished with a double-double, matching the kills with 14 digs.

"She was certainly a go-to on the three rotations on the right side," said SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson. "Cori was a threat they had to key on."

The Skyhawks picked up big numbers from Ashley Doherty, who recorded a match-high 18 kills with a .372 hitting percentage.

Johnson said the Cougars have put themselves in position to win sets all season long but haven't been able to consistently finish off sets for wins. One clear example was the first set Saturday as the Cougars and Skyhawks were tied 22-22. SIUE scored its point on a UT Martin service error while UT Martin used two kills from Doherty and an SIUE attack error to take the set.

"What we need to improve upon is the final five to seven points of each set. We need to be sharper in the final five points," said Johnson.

The Cougar coach said SIUE needs to find its focus at the end of matches and work with the same determination it does early in sets.

SIUE will have the beginning of next week to get ready for another OVC road trip. The Cougars travel to Cookeville, Tenn., Friday for a 7 p.m. match at Tennessee Tech. SIUE then faces Jacksonville State Saturday at 2 p.m.

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