CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga Mocs Indoor Volleyball program and head coach Travis Filar has finalized its 2020 signing class following National Signing Day, which took place in November.
 
The 2020 scholastic signing class consists of six student-athletes heralding from four different states (GA, MI, MN & TN). From top to bottom, the class sits as one of the most prolific and decorated in program history and is one that excites Filar for the immediate and distant future of Chattanooga Volleyball.
 
FILAR ON THE 2020 SIGNING CLASS
"I am really excited to finally announce our full 2020 class, one that our fans will enjoy watching compete and impact our program positively for the next four years. We have not only covered all of our priorities in this class, but have added great skill at every position on the court. As you will see in this group's awards, accomplishments, records, and championships at not just the state level but also national level, these six individuals will make up, collectively, the most talented and most decorated incoming class in our program's long history. They all are not only great competitors, but they have won at every level and with that they will create not only great competition in our gym in August but will infuse our program with a winning mentality.

"All six will have opportunities to impact our team right away in the fall and I know they will be a huge part of this program's success on and off the court for their entire careers. In addition to our returners, they help us get back to being one of the top programs in the Southern Conference in 2020. They all have in common the desire to be great, a contagious competitive spirit and a toughness that will impact our ability to win at a high level. As skilled and gifted as they are on the volleyball court, more importantly, they are outstanding young women, students and teammates, and have been raised by incredible parents."

Sophia Bossong · 6'0 · Setter · Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Siegel High School)
· Andi Collins Award Finalist (Top Setter in the Nation)
· 3x All-American (AVCA) & 3x All-State (TSSAA)
· 3x PrepVolleyball.com Player of the Year Nominee
· Tennessee's State Record Holder & 7^th All-Time in NFHS National HS Record Book (5,262 Assists)
 
FILAR ON BOSSONG: "Sophia will come to Chattanooga as one of the most accomplished high school setters in the history of the state of Tennessee, and keeping her in the state was a huge priority for us as we have been recruiting her since she was a freshman. Her volleyball IQ and ability to direct and lead an offense, in addition to putting her hitters in the best positions to be successful by being consistent with her location and tempo is at an elite level. She knows how to carry out an offensive game plan effectively, and also when to adjust when the opponent makes changes, continuing to get the ball to the right attackers in the right situations at the right times. One thing I have always loved about Sophia is that she has a great energy and joy about her when she competes and because of that, her teammates work hard for her, therefore I know she will be able to run our offense very efficiently. You want your setters to be the "quarterback" of the team, and that is such a natural role for Sophia because she has been doing it her entire volleyball career. Because of that experience, she will compete to lead our offense right away."
 
Sarah Flynn · 6'2 · Middle Blocker/Right Side · Alpharetta, Ga. (Chattahoochee High School)
· 2018 AAU National Champion & Tournament MVP
· 2018 USAV National Champion
· 2x GHSA First Team All-Region
 
FILAR ON FLYNN: "Sarah has as terminal of an arm as an attacker coming in as a freshman then we have had in a long time. Her ability to impact our offense and point scoring is exciting. In addition to having an elite arm, she has great versatility as she can attack from all three front row positions, and for us, she will mostly be in the middle or on the right side. Sarah can score on any tempo set and can go in front of, behind the setter, and off one or two feet, which allows for great range and creativity in how we game plan our offense. She has good range and lateral quickness as a blocker and can truly influence our frontcourt in a multitude of ways. She has great net presence with the ability to take over matches as she did on her way to earning MVP of her club team's run to the AAU National Championship. The most impressive thing that stood out to me when talking with Sarah through the recruiting process was how much she loves being in the gym, putting in the effort in training and working hard to improve her game."
 
Paige Gallentine · 5'8 · DS/Libero · Fenton, Mich. (Charyl Stockwell Prep Academy)
· #1 Libero in Michigan Ranked by PrepDig Michigan
· 4x All-State, 4x All-Region
· AVCA All-Region Selection
· 2x First Team All-Conference, All-Time School Leader in Kills & Aces
 
FILAR ON GALLENTINE: "Paige is one of the most impressive young woman I have ever recruited and I think she has all that it takes from a volleyball skill set, in addition to every intangible you want in a competitor and winner, to impact our team right away. She is as driven, confident, hard-nosed and ambitious of a student-athlete that I have ever met. Right away, you will be able to tell when you watch her play that winning and competing the right way means everything to her. Paige is an outside hitter, what she has played most of her career in high school, who has converted in club to a full-time backcourt player and libero. She plays the position with a relentlessness and quickness that is matched with her readiness, which allows her to cover the entire court if necessary. She wants to be great and understands what it takes to get there, and with that maturity beyond her years, she is prepared more than most for what the college game will throw at her, and I think she will immediately impact both our indoor and beach programs. Paige has a great mind for the game, but what has impressed me the most about her and her ability, is her natural feel and instinct for the game, and that all she can do skill-wise and technically on the court seems so effortless because of how smooth of an athlete she is."
 
Emma Perkins · 5'10 · DS/Libero · Rossville, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian School)
· 3x Tennessee State Champion, 2x All-State Selection
· Under Armour Preseason All-American
· Memphis Player of the Year Finalist
 
FILAR ON PERKINS: "Emma will be coming to Chattanooga as a three-time state champion and the most decorated libero to ever come out of Tennessee high school volleyball powerhouse, Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis. Again, we always want to go after the best student-athletes and people in our home state, and even though we were a little late with Emma, the moment we saw her early in her senior season this fall, we knew we wanted her here at Chattanooga. Emma's combination of height and athleticism at the libero position is like nothing we have ever had here, so that is truly exciting and will help her to compete right away to impact our backcourt. She started her high school and club career as an outside hitter but made the transition full time to libero her junior and senior years. I believe because she once was an attacker and understands the importance of attacking angles, she consistently puts herself in great position to make defensive plays, in addition to her passing and digging precision, which is game-changing when it comes to being in system on offense. One of the things that sticks out to me the most when I watch Emma compete is how calm, confident, steady, and under control she is in her skill set, and in leading her team's backcourt play."
 
Hayden McGee · 6'0 · Outside Hitter · Dacula, Ga. (Hebron Christian Academy)
· 2x GA Volleyball Coaches' Association Single A Player of the Year
· 2x Gwinnett County & Area 7A Player of the Year
· AVCA Under Armour Region 3 All-American & 3x AVCA Under Armour Phenom List Honoree
 
FILAR ON MCGEE: "Hayden has been training at one of the top junior volleyball clubs in the country at A5 in Atlanta, and you can tell as her skill set and ability to play the entire game as a six-rotation outside hitter is outstanding. In addition to her training background, it has also been her inner desire to be great and to put in the necessary work at her craft that has allowed her game and level of play to increase at such a high rate. She is one of, if not the most complete six-rotation players that we have ever signed because of her ability to take over matches as an elite passer, defender, and attacker. Hayden will impact our outside position immediately because of her feel as a passer and digger and her platform control in the backcourt, in addition to the ability to score in serve receive and transition with every attack angle and shot in the books. She will also be an incredible competitor within our beach program. One thing I have really loved about Hayden's game the last two years has been the growth in her overall confidence and leadership on the court as she has become a go-to player and teammate, leading her high school to a state championship and her club team to a national championship."

Kate Neill · 6'2 · Middle Blocker · Plymouth, Minn. (Providence Academy)
· AVCA High School All-Region & Phenom List Honoree
· 2x Team Captain & 1^st Providence Academy to Reach 1,000 Kills
· 3x IMAC All-Conference Honoree
 
FILAR ON NEILL: "Kate fills a big need for us going into 2020, and that is that she is a true middle blocker. She has great length and presence at the net as a disciplined blocker, and her biggest improvement I have seen throughout my time watching her is the ability to be very efficient as an attacker in front of and behind the setter. I think Kate is the real "sleeper" of this class, in that she has length and physicality, but her room for growth, improvement, and in the technical side of the game is super high. She is just scratching the surface of her potential, yet I know how great she wants to be and I know she understands all that it takes to achieve her goals moving forward. One of the most special things about Kate is her willingness to embrace where she is right now, yet has the willingness to work with great effort to get to where she wants to be. Kate absolutely loves Chattanooga and I think she has the ability to compete to be on the court for us as a dominant blocker and attacker in the middle throughout her career."

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