Chattanooga vs. Virginia Tech Aug. 27, 2010 Knoxville, Tenn. (Thompson-Boling Arena) Team 1 2 3 Score Chattanooga 26 19 10 0 Virginia Tech 28 25 25 3

Box Score:  Chattanooga (0-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Courtney Barnes 10-0-1; Jennifer Kuroski 7-0-1; Jessica Scott 6-1-0; Bailee Chastain 4-0-0; Heather Parman 3-0-0; Ellie Kuhn 2-0-0; Kirsten Beasley 1-0-0; Christina Teter 0-0-1; Totals 33-1-2.0.  (Assists) - Bailee Chastain 23.  (Dig leaders) - Paula-Passmore 14; Jessica Scott 8; Bailee Chastain 8  Virginia Tech (1-0)  (Kills-aces-blocks) - Felicia Willoughby 10-2-5; Jennifer Wiker 9-0-1; Cara Baarendse 7-1-2; Samantha Gostling 7-0-1; Erin Leaser 5-0-6; Victoria Hamsher 4-0-2; Amy Wengrenovich 2-0-0; Justine Record 1-1-0; Morgan O'Neill 1-0-0; Totals 46-4-9.0.  (Assists) - Erin Leaser 32.  (Dig leaders) - Morgan O'Neill 13; Kirsten Higareda 8; Amy Wengrenovich 8

Match Notes: - Senior middle blocker Courtney Barnes registered a match-high 10 kills and compiled a .500 attacking percentage. - Sophomore libero Paula Passmore contributed a match leading 14 digs. - Freshman outside hitter Jennifer Kuroski registered seven kills and six digs in her Lady Moc debut. - Senior setter Bailee Chastain totaled 23 assists and eight digs. - Senior right side Jessica Scott posted six kills and eight digs. - Freshman outside hitter Andrea Johnson and setter Tess Kosycarz saw action in the season opening match.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team competed in the first two sets against Virginia Tech at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic before dropping the match, 3-0 (26-28, 19-25, 10-25). Bright spots were senior middle blocker Courtney Barnes (Franklin, Tenn.), who tied a match-high with 10 kills and sophomore libero Paula Passmore (Merritt Island, Fla.), who paced the contest with 14 digs.

A trio of seniors Barnes, right side Jessica Scott (Lawrence, Kan.) and setter Bailee Chastain (Chattanooga, Tenn.) led the Lady Mocs to a 22-17 advantage in the first set. Scott posted five kills, while Barnes and Chastain had four and three, respectively.

The Lady Mocs were unable to put together a string of points as the Hokies battled back and tied it from 22 thru 26-all. UTC had match point leading 26-25, but could not convert as Virginia Tech took the set, 28-26.

Freshman outside hitter Jennifer Kuroski (Acworth, Ga.) earned the start during the preseason and did not disappoint for the Lady Mocs totaling seven kills and six digs on the night.  Chastain notched 23 assists for the match, while Scott recorded six kills.

Also receiving time on the court during the opening match were freshmen Tess Kosycarz (Temecula, Calif.) and Andrea Johnson (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) after the Lady Mocs fell behind in the third set.

Through the first two sets, the Lady Mocs matched the effort from Virginia Tech and did not fall behind by more than three points until the end of the second. Barnes was most effective in the second registering six kills in the set, while hitting .500 and finished with the same percentage.

Every time that Chattanooga seemed to be ready to pull away, a Virginia Tech time out ended the rally. It was the most effective in that first set as the Lady Mocs were able to overcome the first at 21-17, but a second at 22-20 led to a 3-0 rally by the Hokies. Chattanooga completed the first set with 14 kills and only four errors, while Virginia Tech was even more efficient with 19 and 3, respectively.

In the second set, Chattanooga tied the match at 17-all with a kill from Barnes, but the Hokies countered with an 8-2 run to take a commanding 2-0 match lead. In that frame, Virginia Tech converted 17 kills with only three errors and the Lady Mocs totaled 13 kills compared to five errors.

After the Hokies jumped out to a 9-1 lead following the intermission, head coach Lisa Rhodes brought in some younger players to gain experience and provide a spark. Virginia Tech continued its strong play rolling to a 25-10 victory thanks to stout defense and converting on 10-of-11 sideouts.

The Comcast Lady Vol Classic continues on Saturday for Chattanooga as they face another difficult test in No. 19 Tennessee at noon. A match with Xavier closes out the two-day event for the Lady Mocs at 5 p.m.