Chattanooga
Appalachian State
Team Defense Leads Lady Mocs Past Appalachian State
10/10/2010 7:18:00 PM | Volleyball
 Courtesy: Dana James Sophomore right side Heather Parman notched her second-consecutive double-double with 11 kills and a career-high 18 kills. |
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Appalachian St. (13-6, 4-2 SoCon) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Maggie Seeds 11-0-2; Anna Wagner 11-0-2; Lauren Swecker 7-2-0; Caroline Sedon 7-0-5; Alison Blasingame 6-1-3; Kelly Rhein 3-0-1; Kasey Sauls 2-1-0; Jessica Eley 1-0-1; Lauren Brown 0-2-0; Totals 48-6-7.0. (Assists) - Kasey Sauls 32. (Dig leaders) - Courtney Rhein 25; Lauren Swecker 16; Kasey Sauls 9 Chattanooga (7-15, 2-4 SoCon) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Courtney Barnes 12-0-6; Heather Parman 11-0-1; Jessica Scott 9-0-2; Meagan Ernd 9-0-2; Ellie Kuhn 5-0-5; Bailee Chastain 5-1-3; Christina Teter 1-0-0; Kirsten Beasley 0-2-0; Totals 52-3-11.0. (Assists) - Bailee Chastain 39. (Dig leaders) - Paula Passmore 19; Heather Parman 18; Bailee Chastain 18; Jessica Scott 11; Kirsten Beasley 9 |
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Match Notes |
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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – After capturing its first Southern Conference victory against Western Carolina, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team used that momentum to down Appalachian State, 3-1 (17-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-23), at Maclellan Gym on Sunday. The Lady Mocs dropped the first set, but the team used an all-around defensive effort totaling 83 digs to continually frustrate the Mountaineers in the second and third, before finishing them off in the fourth.
“It was a team win as all the players showed great effort tonight,” said associate head coach James Onikeku. “I have been challenging them to put everything together and to get a second win a row against a very good Appalachian State team is awesome for us.”
Seniors right side Jessica Scott (Lawrence, Kan.) and setter Bailee Chastain (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and sophomores outside Heather Parman (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and libero Paula Passmore (Merritt Island, Fla.) each recorded atleast 10 kills in the evening. Parman and Chastain each registered 18 with Passmore leading the way with 19, while Scott added 11 and sophomore Kirsten Beasley (Amarillo, Texas) had nine.
“Communication is huge,” said Passmore in referring to the key to defense. “That is one thing that we have struggled with in the past. We have chemistry on the court and everything is flowing. There is no hesitation anymore because we are talking.”
The Lady Mocs tied a season-high with 11 block on the night with senior Courtney Barnes (Franklin, Tenn.) pacing the match with six, while junior Ellie Kuhn (San Antonio, Texas) recorded five. Chastain added three and sophomore outside Meagan Ernd (Munster, Ind.) and Scott had two apiece.
Chastain notched her sixth double-double of the season registering 39 assists and was effective in spreading the attack out to five different Lady Mocs making it difficult for Appalachian State to defend. Barnes totaled 12 kills, while Parman notched a double-double with 11 kills and Scott and Ernd each added nine. Kuhn recorded five kills along with Chastain.
“It really seemed like everyone wanted the ball today,” said Scott. “It was not like just one or two players, but everybody was putting the ball down for us. I think that really helped because it came down to the fact that everyone was an option to get a kill.”
Chattanooga (7-15, 2-4 SoCon) compiled a .217 attacking percentage on 52 kills and just 17 mistakes. Appalachian State (13-6, 4-2 SoCon) came out firing in the first set totaling 17 kills on three errors, but the Mountaineers committed 11 errors in each of the next two frames.
The Lady Mocs notched a match-high 17 kills on their way to the victory in the fourth set. There were 16 ties and six lead changes throughout the match with a majority of them, 10 ties and four lead changes, occurring in the fourth frame.
Appalachian State was paced offensively by Maggie Seeds and Ana Wagner, who each totaled 11 kills, while libero Courtney Rhein led the match with 25 digs.
In the first set, the two teams battled through the first 11 points as Appalachian State had a one-point advantage following a kill by Ernd. The Mountaineers rattled off six-straight points to take a 16-8 lead and stretched it to 24-12.
With Appalachian State serving for set point, the Lady Mocs continued to battle scoring three-consecutive points on kills by Barnes and Chastain before the Mountaineers closed out the set, 25-17.
“I told them not to worry about anybody else,” said Onikeku following the first set. “Everybody just needs to do what they are supposed to do. If everybody does their job, then we will be fine.”
Chattanooga rallied to a 11-3 advantage in the second set on kills by Beasley, Ernd (2) and Scott (3), but it was propelled by four Appalachian State mistakes, one on a block from Barnes and Ernd.
From there, the Mountaineers came within five, 13-8, after scoring on four-straight points, but the Lady Mocs would go on to take the set, 25-14 ,on a kill by Kuhn. Chattanooga notched four blocks in the frame establishing a presence at the net.
“We just really got off to a good start, which was the main thing,” said Scott about the second set. “We started off with that big lead and from there. It was just fun playing.”
The third set would start close as both teams matched each other point-for-point through the first 11 rallies. Chattanooga would add to its advantage on a kill by Barnes, 13-8. The Lady Mocs would close the frame, 25-14, on a 11-4 run that saw two service aces by Beasley and four kills by Kuhn.
A battle to the finish came out in the fourth set as the teams battled through the first 39 points and Chattanooga had a slight 20-19 lead on a kill by Parman. The Lady Mocs would push their advantage to three, 24-21, on a kills by Barnes and Parman (2), but the Mountaineers connected on two kills by Wagner cutting the deficit to one. A service error ended the match, 25-23, as the Lady Mocs celebrated their second-straight victory.
“It was great to get the win today,” said Passmore. “We finally found the chemistry that we needed on the court and everyone is playing together. We knew that we are a good team and now we are going to prove it.”
Chattanooga is off the Charleston, S.C. next weekend to battle the Citadel on Saturday at 2 p.m. and take on the College of Charleston on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Lady Mocs return to Maclellan Gym on Oct. 23-24 to battle Wofford and Furman with both matches beginning at 2 p.m.
