Mars Hill's Martins Named 2021 SAC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Mars Hill's Ully Martins was voted the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Women's Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This will be the first time Martins will have received this honor.

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 senior defensive specialist, has been a member of the women's volleyball program for four years and currently has a 3.74 Cumulative GPA while majoring in Computer Science and will graduate this spring with her bachelor's degree. Martins made the Mars Hill Dean's List all four years as well the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll her first three years. 

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 to their fourth straight SAC Tournament Bid. 

"It is my pleasure to recommend Ully Martins for the SAC Scholar-Athlete for volleyball", said Associate Professor of Computer Science and Faculty Athletics Representative Marty Gilbert. " I have known Ully for 4 years in a professor/student capacity, and have been impressed with her dedication to learning, attention to detail, and positive interaction with others. Ully is a dedicated student. When course content is difficult, she works tirelessly in order to gain comprehension. She has become a proficient programmer and problem solver during her time at Mars Hill University. Ully is also very responsible. She comes to class each period on time, prepared, and ready to learn. She has taken six (6) of my courses, and has rarely failed to turn in an assignment. This responsibility and attention to detail will bode well for her success in future endeavors. 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 (first team) in 2021." 

Gilbert added, "this has been so difficult for our volleyball team, but Ully is a major reason that our team was able to push through this tragedy and have one of our most successful seasons in recent memory."

Newly named Head Coach Mike smith added, "Although I have only coached this young lady since the end of February, she has definitely made her presence known both on the volleyball court and around campus. Ms. Martins is a first team All-South Atlantic Conference selection for volleyball in Spring 2021. She led the conference in digs and being the only libero on the first team, I would consider her the best in the league. In volleyball, she was a student-athlete that gave her all on every play and helped inspire her teammates. This effort helped the volleyball team to a 5-5 record this spring and a 5th place finish in the regular season. This finish was the highest rank the volleyball team had accomplished in several years. Ms. Martins is a tireless worker as she works a couple of jobs on campus between IT and as a tutor. Juggling classes and being a student-athlete is difficult so imagine adding two jobs to your daily routine on top of this. She will also graduate this spring as another accomplishment."

A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Martins is active on and off of 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.  

SAC Women's Volleyball Scholar-Athlete Finalists

Anne Abernathy (Wingate)

Carli Pigza (Tusculum)

Helen Hamilton (LRU)

Ully Martins (MHU)

Yileen Ng He (LMU)

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