CHATTANOOGA --- Trailing only twice in the three-set match, the Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team earned a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-14, 25-18) sweep over the Mercer Bears on Saturday in Macllelan Gynamsium.
 
The win improved the Mocs record to 11-9 overall and 4-2 in the Southern Conference. UTC has won four of their last five matches. Mercer falls to 7-11, 2-4 in conference play.
 
Chattanooga found themselves trailing only twice (1-0 and 2-1 in the third set) during the match, nearly completing a wire-to-wire win. The match featured only five tied scores, one time in the first set and four times in the third set.

The Mocs used a balanced attack of offense and defense as they hit for a season-best .320 attacking percentage while holding the Bears to a .140 percentage and out-blocking at a 7.0 to 5.0 advantage. For the second-straight match the Mocs finished with five players in double-digit digs.
 
The trio of Dani Szczepanski, Miranda Elpers and Ally Ford proved to be the difference on offense. Szczepanski finished with a season-high 13 kills at another season-best .545 attacking percentage while Elpers and Ford each totaled 12 kills at a combined .318 percentage. Lauren Greenspoon posted 37 assists in addition to one kill.
 
Megan Kaufman led the team with 15 digs while Ford added 11 and Elpers, Greenspoon and Clemons all finished with ten. Ford totaled 3.0 blocks while Elpers, Szczepanski and Emily Plumlee finished with 1.0.
 
Chattanooga returns to the court on Wednesday as they host rival ETSU for a 'White Out' of Maclellan at 6 p.m. The match will be broadcasted LIVE on the SoCon Digital Network, courtesy of GoMocs.com.
 
Match Stats & Notes
- Dani Szczepanski finished with a season-high 13 kills … also season-best .545 attacking percentage … fifth match with double-digit kills.
- Lauren Greenspoon dished out 37 assists in just three sets … ties three-set high for the season … now averaging 10.77 assists per set this season.
- Miranda Elpers finished with 12 kills at a .303 percentage … most efficient percentage this season her.
- Ally Ford totaled 12 kills at a .333 percentage … ties her season-best attacking efficiency.
- Chattanooga held Mercer to a .140 attacking percentage … forced the Bears into a -.036 percentage in the second set.
 
Chattanooga 3, Mercer 0
1^st Set | UTC 25, MER 23
Chattanooga raced out to a 10-5 lead in the early going and maintained the lead at 16-12 before the Bears battled back. Mercer answered with four-straight points to tie the set at 16-16. Chattanooga responded with a 7-3 run to build a 23-19 lead before the Bears cut it to 23-22. Kills from Ally Ford and Lauren Greenspoon ended the set 25-23 and gave the Mocs a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
2^nd Set | UTC 25, MER 14
Chattanooga wasted no time in building a lead as the Mocs took the set's first seven points. After Mercer rallied to cut it to 8-5, UTC went on a 9-3 run to extend out an insurmountable 17-8 lead. They would add to it down the stretch, ultimately earning a 25-14 set win and a 2-0 lead into the break.
 
3^rd Set | UTC 25, MER 18
The Bears would claim their first leads of the match by scoring two of the set's first three points for a 1-0 and 2-1 lead. The Mocs scored eight of the next 11 to take a 9-5 lead and later extended the advantage to 14-8. Mercer would cut it to three-points at 19-16 before Chattanooga ended the match on a 6-2 run for a 25-18 set win and a match sweep.