CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? As the home portion of its schedule winds down, the Chattanooga volleyball team continues to excel at Maclellan Gymnasium as the Lady Mocs (13-12, 8-3 Southern) took down Elon (15-12, 4-7 Southern) 3-0 on Sunday.
The victory gives the Lady Mocs its second consecutive weekend sweep as the team has now won six of its last seven at home and is over .500 for the first time this season. Chattanooga took the match 26-24, 25-12, and 25-15.
"It's a good win," Head Coach Lisa Rhodes said. "We have talked about taking care of business at home all season, and I think we did that this weekend. Right now it seems that things are really coming together for us at the right time."
Courtney Barnes and Ashley Yeager were the driving force of the UTC offense on Sunday as both tied for a match-high 14 kills apiece. Barnes continued her offensive surge over the last few weeks with a .636 hitting percentage, which is a career best and a team-high for 2008.
Michaela Huff had all but four of the Lady Mocs' assists on the afternoon, with a match-high 36, while libero Lara Newberry led the team with 24 digs.
For the Phoenix, Caroline Lemke led the squad with 10 kills as Emily Regan paced the team with 17 assists. On defense for Elon, Kelley Blakewood led all players in the match with 28 digs.
The Lady Mocs were able to squeak by the Phoenix in the first set as UTC took the opening frame 26-24. Both teams remained close to one another throughout the entire set before the Lady Mocs were able to take the 1-0 lead thanks to a Jessica Scott kill, partnered with an Elon error.
In the next frame both teams battled back-and-forth to a 9-all tie, before the Lady Mocs were able to surge ahead with eight straight points. Chattanooga would then outscore the Phoenix 8-3 to take the set 25-12, and the 2-0 advantage.
The Lady Mocs would not let the Phoenix hang around long in the third set, as UTC was able to take the final frame 25-15 to capture the victory.
Up next for Chattanooga will be Samford on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala. First serve for the mid-week showdown of the North Division's first and second place teams is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
