CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Chattanooga Mocs defeated The Citadel 3-0 Friday evening to pick up their first Southern Conference win of the season.  Junior Lauren Gainer (Boca Raton, Fla.) and sophomore Nicole Sumida (Hixson, Tenn.) led UTC to the win, picking up 13 and 11 kills, respectively.

“This was a great win for our team,” Head Coach Travis Filar said. “This was our first SoCon win, and it was important for us to get that under our belts.  Now we have to take this momentum and carry it into tomorrow against Western Carolina.”

Chattanooga claimed the first set 25-20, led by Gainer's four kills.  Sumida and sophomore Kristy Wieser (Lincoln, Neb.) each tallied three kills, along with seven digs compiled by sophomore Allie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.).  Davenport and junior Sarah Batterton (Colbert, Wash.) each contributed two assisted blocks.

The second set was taken 25-14 with the Mocs coming out on top.  UTC hit an outstanding .516, while the defense held the Bulldogs to just a .125 hitting percentage.  The Mocs totaled 17 kills in the frame on the back of Sumida.  The sophomore downed six kills on seven attempts.  Davenport and Gainer each contributed four kills.

UTC took the final stanza 25-22, the closest margin in the match.  Gainer's five kills in the match was a set-high total for the Mocs.  Despite hitting just .188 in the set, the score was tied just once before Chattanooga rallied to take the three-point victory.

The win over the Bulldogs bumped UTC's all-time record against The Citadel to 22-0 since its first match in 1999.  Chattanooga's season record improves to 8-10 while the opponent falls to 5-12.  The Mocs are now 1-2 in league action and The Citadel is 0-3.

Chattanooga continues SoCon action Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. as it takes on Western Carolina.  The Mocs are 34-35 all-time against the Catamounts.  Their last two meetings came just last season with WCU taking both matches 3-0, both at Maclellan Gym and in Cullowhee, N.C.