Conway, S.C. ? The weekend got off on a sour note for the Chattanooga volleyball team on Friday, as the Lady Mocs fell to Troy 3-0, in the first game of the Courtyard by Marriot Chanticleer Invitational. The Trojans took the first three sets of the match, 25-23, 25-19, and 26-24, to drop UTC to 2-5 on the season.
Jessica Scott paced the team in the loss with nine kills on the afternoon. Freshmen
Ellie Kuhn continued the strong start to her UTC career with seven on only 11 attempts. She committed one error for a .545 hitting percentage, the highest on the team. Setter
Michaela Huff aided the offense with 26 assists, which tied for the match-high with Troy's Megan Henderson.
Lara Newberry continued her assault on the NCAA's record books with 13 digs in the match, which led the team, and tied for the most in the game.
The Lady Mocs opened up the match storming out of the gates, as UTC scored 14 of the opening set's 18 points. The Trojans would then answer with a six point run to put Troy within four. Troy would get within one at the 17-16 mark of the set, only to see UTC pull back ahead by scoring four of the next five points. The Trojans answered right back however, with five straight points to take the late lead, their first since scoring the first point of the set. Once Troy regained the lead, it would not relinquish it as the Trojans took the opening set 25-23. The Lady Mocs outhit their opponents .237-.132 in the set, thanks to six of Scott's kills, and eight of Newberry's digs, both the most in the frame.
The second set was a polar opposite of the first for UTC in regards to offense. The Lady Mocs had a team hitting percentage of only .030, as the Trojans took a 2-0 lead with the 25-19 win. The set started with both teams exchanging points all the way to the 4-4 mark. From there, the Trojans went on runs of four and six points and soon found themselves up 15-6. The Lady Mocs would not lie down and die however, as UTC went on runs of its own to eventually climb back within three at the 22-19 mark. Unfortunately, that would be the last point of the set for Chattanooga, as Troy ended the set with three straight points to end the set, and give the Trojans a 2-0 lead.
Aurore Kullak provided the offense in the set for the Lady Mocs, as the sophomore tallied four of her seven kills in the frame.
The third set of the match began much like the second for the Lady Mocs in regards to the set's scoring. Both teams remained very tight throughout the set's opening points, all the way to a 7-all tie, the first of 12 ties in the set. Unlike the first two frames of the match, neither team could piece together a long rally. Kuhn and
Ashley Yeager provided the majority of the offense for UTC with three kills apiece. Kuhn was extremely efficient as the San Antonio, Texas native posted a .600 hitting percentage. The Lady Mocs would find themselves down match point late, only to tie the match up at 24 with a Scott kill. The Trojans would prove to be too tough in the end however, as Troy finished off the Lady Mocs with back-to-back kills from Meghan Gilroy, who would finish with a match-high 14 kills.
Chattanooga will return to action on Saturday, as the Lady Mocs have two games on the slate. At 10 a.m., UTC will take on Georgia State, and to wrap up the tournament, the Lady Mocs will play the invitational's host, Coastal Carolina at 6 p.m.
