University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Samford
Chattanooga falls in four games to Samford, 3-1, in home opener
8/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
UTC jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead in the first game before Samford rallied to close to 19-16. The Lady Mocs then closed out the match with an 11-5 run, registering six kills in the process, to take the game 30-21.
Chattanooga jumped out to a quick advantage at the start of the second game as well, taking a 10-4 lead in the early going before a 6-1 Bulldog run closed the score to 11-10. The teams battled to a 15-15 tie before Samford jumped ahead 19-15 with four straight points. They would extend that lead to 24-18 and would not allow the Lady Mocs any closer than four points the rest of the game as they tied the match with a 30-24 victory.
Once again, the Lady Mocs got off to a fast start with an 7-3 lead in the third game before a 10-2 run, fueled by three kills from junior outside hitter Sara Sears and seven assists from Fountain, gave them the lead 13-9. That lead would eventually grow to 20-13 before
The fourth game featured a tight contest that would see the score tied eight times and the two teams separated by no more than two points until Samford pulled ahead 17-14. The Lady Mocs kept the score close and battled back to within two points four times before the Bulldogs pulled ahead 25-20. From there, Samford closed out the game, and the match, with a hard-fought 30-24 victory.
In addition to Fountain's 60 assists, the Bulldogs were led by Sears and senior middle blocker Angela Dempski with 16 kills apiece and junior libero Courtney Gay added 42 digs on the evening. Sears also added 12 digs and five service aces while freshman outside hitter Samantha Bland and sophomore libero Sarah Gardner posted 17 and 13 digs, respectively. Freshman Sheridan Stangohr finished the night with 12 kills.
For the Lady Mocs, senior setter Bethany Herndon (
Following an eight-day layoff, the Lady Mocs will resume play when they host the Country Inns & Suites Challenge at Maclellan Gym Sept. 7-8. The tournament will feature Tennessee Tech, UNC Asheville and 2006 NCAA Tournament team,
