MARTIN, Tenn. – Kristen Torre led SIUE with a match-high 12 kills Saturday but the SIUE volleyball team was defeated by UT Martin 25-16, 25-20, 25-16.

SIUE finished with a .143 hitting percentage for the match and now hold a 9-14 record overall with a 1-6 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play. UT Martin improved to 10-12 overall and 3-5 in the OVC.

SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson said the Cougars have a couple of more matches left in the first half of the OVC regular season to start turning things around.

"We're going to keep working at it," she said. "We're going to keep battling. The goal is to get better every day."

The Cougars fell behind early in each of the first two sets and had to play catch-up for most of the match. Allie Whimpey led the charge for the Skyhawks with nine kills. UT Martin hit .311 as a team and benefitted from seven service aces.

"We're letting the opponent control the tempo and the pace of the match," Johnson said.

Taylor Held and Emily Harrison added eight and six kills, respectively for the Cougars. Johnson said she noted some improvement from her outside hitters.

"They were a bit more terminal than they have been," she added.

The road trip continues next weekend when the Cougars travel to Murray State for a Friday night match and Austin Peay next Saturday.