CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Volleyball team is hosting an all-day Spring Tournament on Saturday, March 28 starting at 10 a.m. ET in Maclellan Gym.
The Mocs are welcoming Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Dalton State, Ole Miss, Kennesaw State, Georgia State andBelmont and will kick off of the event with a match against Tennessee at 10 a.m. The squad will then play Georgia at 12 p.m. and conclude action with a match against Ole Miss at 3 p.m. The event is free to the public.
“We could not be more excited to be at home, hosting these great programs, in what has become an incredibly competitive spring tournament”, head coach Travis Filar said. “Our team has been working hard in the gym on the areas that we needed to improve on from our training day vs. Carson-Newman, and our matches on Saturday will be a huge test to see where we have grown. I am eager to see how we respond in those areas, and in our overall confidence and competitiveness in facing 3 very talented SEC teams in Tennessee, Georgia, and Ole Miss. It will be a day full of great volleyball, an awesome event for all volleyball enthusiasts, and we hope to see many fans in Maclellan”
UTC returns to the court 11 letterwinners for the upcoming 2015 season, including statistical leaders Kristy Wieser, Lauren Greenspoon and Catherine Chason. Wiser led the Mocs with 296 kills and finished second on the team with 245 digs. Greenspoon helped paced the offense with a squad best 616 assists while Chason topped Chattanooga's defense with 433 digs.
The full schedule will include:
Maclellan Gym:
10 AM: CHATTANOOGA VS. TENNESSEE (R-OLE MISS)
11 AM: GEORGIA ST VS. GEORGIA TECH (R-GEORGIA)
12 PM: CHATTANOOGA VS. GEORGIA (R-BELMONT)
1 PM: TENNESSEE VS. DALTON STATE (R-UTC)
2 PM: KENNESAW ST VS. GEORGIA (R-GA STATE)
3 PM: CHATTANOOGA VS. OLE MISS (R-DALTON ST)
4 PM: BELMONT VS. DALTON STATE (R-UTC)
Auxiliary Gym:
10 AM: DALTON ST VS. KENNESAW ST (R-GA TECH)
11 AM: BELMONT VS. OLE MISS (R-KENNESAW ST)
12 PM: GEORGIA TECH VS. KENNESAW ST (R-TENNESSEE)
1 PM: GEORGIA ST VS. BELMONT (R-UTC)
2 PM: OLE MISS VS. GEORGIA TECH (R-)
3 PM: TENNESSEE VS. GEORGIA ST (R-DALTON ST)
Tennessee finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 8-24. The Lady Vols were led by true freshman, Kendra Tuner. The outside hitter tallied a team-best 222 kills while chipping in 41 digs, 33 blocks (3s/30a), four assists and two service aces.
Scouting Georgia
The Georgia volleyball team finished its 2014 campaign with a 14-17 record that included a 5-13 mark in Southeastern Conference matches.
Highlighting the season was a pair of tournament titles, defeating Georgia Tech for the first time since 2005, a season sweep of Missouri that included the first-ever win in Columbia, Mo., Desiree McCray earning SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career, Tirah Le'au becoming a 1,000 kill performer and Gaby Smiley earning a spot on the SEC Volleyball Community Service Team for the second-straight year.
Scouting Ole Miss
The Rebels wrapped up 2014 with an 8-10 conference showing and a 22-10 overall standing. Leading Ole Miss was junior Nakeyta Clair, who received American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Honorable Mention All-America honors.
The Country Club Hills, Illinois native helped lead Ole Miss to the best start in school history (14-0), the most wins since the 2007 season (22-10) and tied for the most home wins in program history (12-4). The Rebels also posted a school-record team hitting percentage in a season (.254).
