Chattanooga Classic (Aug. 31 – Sept. 1) 
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn.
Arena: Maclellan Gymnasium (600 Douglas Street)
Fan Information: Clear Bag Policy
Tickets: Admission is FREE
Teams: Chattanooga, UNC Asheville, Tennessee St., No. Alabama
Coverages: Live Stats | Watch (vs. TSU) | Watch (vs. UNA)

CHATTANOOGA --- After kicking off the 2018 season up the road in Knoxville last weekend, the Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team opens up its home portion of the schedule with the Chattanooga Classic inside Maclellan Gymnasium this weekend on Friday and Saturday.
 
Chattanooga will open up tournament play against UNC Asheville on Friday at 6 p.m. before taking on Tennessee State at 12:30 p.m. and North Alabama at 7 p.m. on Saturday to close out the weekend. Saturday's matches will stream LIVE on the SoCon Digital Network, courtesy of GoMocs.com.
 
The Mocs have used their hosting duties to their advantage, combining for a 10-3 record in Chattanooga Classic matches since 2013 including three titles during that span. Since 2015, Chattanooga holds an impressive 34-9 overall record inside Macllelan Gym which featured an 18-match winning streak.
 
UTC finished off the opening weekend at the Tennessee Classic with a 1-2 record, but nearly upset No. 22 Michigan State on the final day of play. They recorded a 3-0 sweep over Belmont on Friday to pick up their first win of the young season.
 
Junior Dani Szczepanski was more than impressive for UTC over the weekend. In ten total sets, she finished with 18 kills at a team-best .552 hitting percentage while recording 5.0 total blocks. Szczepanski earned Tennessee Classic All-Tournament team honors for her stellar play.
 
Freshman Gylian Finch provided a spark for the Chattanooga offense during her first weekend of collegiate action. She ranked second on the team with 19 kills and attacked at an efficient .213 percentage. Finch finished with five service aces, all in the opening match against Belmont, which included three-straight on her first three serves in a UTC uniform. The five aces in a match was the most for a Moc since 2014.
 
Senior Miranda Elpers racked up a team-high 25 kills over the weekend and finished second with 27 digs. She notched her 24^th career kill-dig double-double after finishing with 12 kills and 18 digs in Saturday's 3-1 loss to No. 22 MSU.
 
Opponent previews and information can be found below.
 
UNC Asheville Bulldogs (2-1)
UNC Asheville enters the weekend with a 2-1 mark after taking two of three matches at their own invitational last weekend. They earned sweeps over Coppin State and The Citadel before suffering a sweep to Appalachian State.
 
The Bulldogs return eight letter winners from a season ago including 2017 All-Big South Conference first team selection Cara Guthrie. She finished with a team-high 33 kills at a .342 hitting percentage over the weekend while totaling 17 digs 2.0 blocks.
 
Tennessee State Tigers (1-2)
Tennessee State concluded the season-opening weekend with a 1-2 record at the Florida International Kickoff in Miami. TSU dropped a pair of 3-1 matches to Stetson and tournament-host FIU while downing Florida A&M by a 3-1 count.
 
Julia Pierson (43) and Rachel Henderson (39) combined to total 82 kills over the weekend for the Tigers while Johanna Kruize chipped in with 28 of her own. Gina Rivera Ortiz led the defense with an impressive 56-dig effort in 12 sets played.
 
North Alabama Lions (0-3)
In its inaugural NCAA DI season as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, North Alabama suffered a three-match sweep at the Jax State Invitational hosted by Jacksonville State. They battled SoCon-member Mercer in a five-setter after dropping straight-set matches to Little Rock and JSU.
 
An NCAA Division II member a season ago, the Lions finished 27-8 overall and advanced to the NCAA South Regional Tournament for the third-straight year. UNA's roster features a significant International flavor as seven student-athletes reside outside of the United States including four from Germany.
 
 
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