DAVIDSON, N.C. ? The Chattanooga volleyball team came into Sunday looking to end the first conference weekend of the season at 2-0 as the team visited Davidson. Unfortunately, the Lady Mocs were unable to come from behind in a very tight 3-2 loss to the Wildcats. The loss puts UTC at 6-10 on the season and 1-1 in conference play as Davidson took the match 29-27, 25-17, 24-26, 22-25, and 15-9 for the victory.
Jessica Scott and Courtney Barnes continued their strong offensive play as both paced the Lady Mocs' offense with 11 and nine kills respectively. Cassie Conner once again led the team in assists with 35 and Lara Newberry led all players with 34 digs, which ties a season-high for the senior libero.
The match began with a tightly contested first set that saw the Wildcats slip away with a 29-27 victory. In the next set, Davidson was able to take commanding 2-0 lead with a 25-17 win.
The Lady Mocs would not lie down however; as UTC would claw back into the match with a thrilling 26-24 win in the third set. During the frame, the Lady Mocs would take a substantial lead only to see the Wildcats come back. A kill by Davidson's Jorden Benedict would put give the Wildcats set point, but a service error followed by two more errors by Davidson would give Chattanooga the set.
In the fourth set, UTC set the tone early by running out to a quick 6-1 lead. A Davidson timeout would follow and the Wildcats responded with five straight points to put the set at a 6-all tie. The set would then see five lead changes as both squads fought back and forth to an 18-18 tie. A Davidson service error would then give the Lady Mocs the lead, one it would not relinquish as Chattanooga took the fourth set 25-22 to force a decisive fifth and final set.
In the deciding fifth frame the Lady Mocs would get on the board first with two quick points, only to see Davidson come right back with two scores of its own. From that point, both teams would exchange points all the way to a 7-all tie. A service error by UTC would give Davidson an 8-7 lead as they Wildcats would go on to take the set and the match.
With Newberry's 34 digs, she now sits only 78 away from breaking the NCAA's all-time record of 2,791. She will now have the opportunity to break the mark at Maclellan Gym as the Lady Mocs' next five games will be back on the UTC campus. Chattanooga will return to action on Friday, Oct. 3 against Appalachian State. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at Maclellan Gym.
