Back-to-Back: Martins named SAC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Mars Hill senior libero Ully Martins repeats as SAC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as release Wednesday morning.
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – For the second consecutive year, Mars Hill's Ully Martins was voted the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Women's Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the Conference's championship sports and is voted on by the SAC's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service, and leadership.
Martins, a fifth-year senior defensive specialist, has been a member of the women's volleyball program for five years and currently has a 3.74 Cumulative GPA while majoring in Computer Science and will graduate with her bachelor's degree. Martins made the Mars Hill Dean's List all five years as well the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll four times.
On the court, as a true freshman starter she played in 19 matches for a total of 56 sets, she collected 206 digs, 16 assists and nine aces. As a sophomore who competed in 29 matches while picking up 622 digs, she ranked fourth in SAC digs per set and fifth in overall digs for the SAC. Martins had an impressive junior season with 606 digs, 79 assists and 16 service aces. This resulted in her ranking second in both digs per set and over all digs in the league. In a short 10 match spring season she concluded her senior season with 223 digs, 34 assists, six aces and became No. 1 in the league for digs per set and digs overall. She was named to SAC First Team All-Conference in both the pre and post season while also helping lead her team their fourth straight SAC Tournament Bid. Martins, like many others, took an extra year to continue her education and athletics career at Mars Hill.
This fall she led Division II and Mars Hill in digs per set and was 6th in digs per set for the SAC. Martins was an instrumental part in the Lions success this fall after making it all the way to the SAC quarterfinals and earning an NCAA DII Volleyball Tournament bid. She was able to earn All-SAC Third Team honors and beat her school record of digs (765) and career digs (2425) by staying on for the extra year.
"In addition to being a dedicated, curious student, Ully has been successful in the classroom while participating in intercollegiate athletics. Ully is a vital member of our women's volleyball team, most recently being named All-SAC (third team) in 2021 while leading our team to its first ever NCAA tournament bid. She also led the nation and SAC in digs, which speaks to her athletic prowess. As you probably remember, Ully was also deemed worthy of being named SAC Scholar-Athlete for volleyball last academic year, and has exceeded her performance on the court and in the classroom this year," said Associate Professor of Computer Science and Faculty Athletics Representative Marty Gilbert.
Gilbert added, "I would characterize Ully as one who rarely has a bad day or an ill word to say. She is a student of good humor, and one whom classmates enjoy being around. I would easily describe her as a 'people person', and would serve well in being a useful member of any getting that requires group cohesion."
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Martins is active on and off the court in the Mars Hill community. She has put together canned food drives with the Mars Hill Student Athlete Advisory Committee during all four years. Martins helped to host Halloween Trunk -or-Treat opportunities for community children, while coaching young children in Brazil every summer. She was an instrumental part in the "Dig Pink", nights where the team would raise money for breast cancer research. Lastly Martins volunteered to help other Mars Hill students better their mathematical skills by tutoring them weekly.
