CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – A lively crowd packed Maclellan Gym Friday night to cheer on the Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team against Samford.  Despite a great effort by UTC, the Bulldogs prevailed 3-1 to open the Southern Conference season.

“We put up a great fight,” Head Coach Travis Filar said. “The team played great, the crowd was electric and really provided an amazing volleyball atmosphere tonight, and I was happy with how we handled Samford's offense.”

The Mocs defense held the Bulldogs to a .175 hitting percentage for the match, keeping them to a .158 percentage in the first set, .000 in the second and .136 in the third.  Along with keeping hitters at bay through the first three sets, the UTC defense posted 13.0 total blocks.  Junior Lauren Gainer (Boca Raton, Fla.) collected seven assisted blocks and one solo block.

Chattanooga's offense was split mainly between sophomore Allie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.) and Gainer, as the two totaled 11 kills each.  Freshman setter Lauren Greenspoon (Houston, Texas) and fellow setter Anne Bachmann (Lincoln, Neb.) each tallied 19 assists, and Greenspoon added two service aces to her stat line.

The first set was claimed by Samford 25-21 as Chattanooga just came up short.  Gainer collected seven of her 11 kills in the first frame, while Greenspoon and libero Catherine Chason (Alpharetta, Ga.) each had four digs.  Chason led the Mocs with 19 in the contest.

Gainer steered UTC to a 25-23 win in the second stanza, leading with six blocks.  Despite hitting just .032 in the set, Davenport came away with three kills and the defense dug 12 Samford attacks. 

Samford regrouped in the third and fourth match to down the Mocs 25-22 and 25-23.

“We have to get ready for East Tennesse now,” Filar said. “They are a well-coached team and will be very competitive.  We are happy to have them back in the conference.”

Saturday's first serve is set for 3 p.m.  Live stats are available for the match and a free video broadcast is provided through the SoCon Digital Network.