MACON, GA. – The Chattanooga Mocs' indoor volleyball team began its final regular-season road trip in thrilling fashion on Friday night in Macon, Ga. The fifth set featured seven ties, four of them after UTC match points. The Mocs never gave up their lead and handed the Bears their third Southern Conference loss of the season with a 19-17 win in the fifth frame.  

MATCH RECAP
SET 1 ∙ UTC 25, MER 17
SET 2 ∙ MER 25, UTC 13
SET 3 ∙ UTC 26, MER 24
SET 4 ∙ MER 25, UTC 22
SET 5 ∙ UTC 19, MER 17

After falling to the Bears the first time out, UTC got off to a strong start, winning the first five points of the match capped off by a Maia Rackel ace. As the Mocs' run continued, Mercer called its first timeout after a Chloe Bryan kill put them down 9-3. UTC used another 7-2 run as the Blue and Gold took an eight-point lead, 21-13. The Mocs used kills from Gylian Finch, Sophia Bossong, Kate Neill and Rackel to put the first set away, 25-17. Neill led the squad with five kills in the first set, hitting .714.

Chattanooga grabbed a 4-3 lead in the second set, but a 6-0 run by the Bears put the hosts up five as the Mocs called timeout facing a five-point deficit. The six-point swing was the biggest of the set for the Bears and they continued small runs to hold a strong advantage. Mercer took the second set 25-13. The Bears outhit the Mocs .429 - .100 in the frame with two players totaling five or more kills.

Mercer took the first sizable lead in the third set, up 10-7. UTC used a kill from Marcelle Baez-Carlo and a block from Bryan to tie the set and ultimately regained the lead after another Mercer error. Aces by Chandler Alter and Finch put the Mocs up three towards the middle of the set, 17-14, and Mercer called its first timeout of the frame. The Bears used a 3-0 run to take a 22-21 lead as Chattanooga called timeout. Mercer had the first set point of the third, but a kill from Rackel and a ball handling error from the Bears gave the Mocs a set point of their own. Neill secured the third-set victory with an ace to give UTC a 2-1 lead in the match.  

The Mocs began the fourth frame like they did the second, holding a small lead. The Bears used a 4-0 run to take a two-point advantage led by two Rayanne de Oliveira kills. The hosts continued their success in the fourth, winning six of the next eight points as Mercer led 17-10 and Chattanooga took its final timeout of the set. The Mocs began their charge as a 5-0 run put the Mocs within four, down 19-15. Mercer came out strong out of the timeout, winning five of seven points to hold set point. The Mocs won four straight points before the Bears won the set, 25-22.

Mercer entered the fifth set with a 2-0 record in five-set matches; the Mocs were ready to change that. The Blue and Gold got off to a strong 7-2 start led by a block and a kill from Baez-Carlo and an Alter ace. The Bears battled back, tying the set at 10. Neither team took more than a two-point lead after that point. UTC had four match points, but like the Mocs did in the fourth set, the Bears fended off each one. After a kill from Rackel to put the Mocs up 18-17, it was the other senior, Finch who put the match away. UTC won the fifth set 19-17. The set featured seven ties, but after the Mocs took a 1-0 lead, they never gave it up.  

Neill led the Mocs in kills for just the second time this season. The second-year middle posted a career-high 15 on 30 swings, hitting .367. She added a pair of blocks and digs.

Rackel joined Neill in double figures with 11 kills. She capped off her second-straight double-double with a career-best 14 digs. She also registered one of the Mocs' two solo blocks. Bryan had the other solo stuff, she also recorded a block assist and was third on the team with nine kills.

Finch and Baez-Carlo combined for 16 kills with eight apiece. Finch garnered a second-straight double-double with 16 digs. Her line was complete with two blocks and an ace. Baez-Carlo was second on the team with three blocks.

The Mocs' setter did not just put up 44 assists. Bossong covered the floor, leading the team with four blocks and was second on the squad with 17 digs. The Murfreesboro native also had five kills.

UTC's libero continued her dominance, leading another match in digs. Paige Gallentine tallied 23 and added four assists.

The Mocs outblocked the Bears 8-6, while Mercer led the match in kills (72-56), digs (92-84), and hitting percentage (.222 - .183). The two teams totaled 11 aces with UTC holding a 6-5 advantage in the category led by Rackel and Alter with two.  

Notes

• UTC moves to 4-3 in five-set matches this season. The Mocs are 3-0 in SoCon five setters. It is Mercer's first five-set loss at home since Oct. 4, 2019 vs. Western Carolina.
• The Mocs captured their first fifth-set win over the Bears since Sept. 16, 2006, which was a neutral site contest. It's the first time the Mocs defeated the Bears in five sets in Macon. The other two five-set wins over Mercer were both neutral site contests.
• This was the first win for the Blue and Gold after losing the fourth set (previously 0-8).
• The match featured 28 ties and 11 lead changes. There were not any lead changes in the first or fifth set.
• Three Mocs players had 15 or more digs in the match (Gallentine, Bossong, Finch). It's the first time three players have reached that mark this season.
• The 36-point fifth set capped off the longest UTC SoCon match since Nov. 13, 2015 at ETSU when the Mocs defeated the Bucs 21-19 in the fifth set.
• The three-straight SoCon wins are the first time the Mocs have defeated three-straight SoCon opponents since Nov. 11-19, 2016.

Series history
Chattanooga leads the all-time series 19-16 and snapped a six-match losing skid to the Bears.   

Records – CHATTANOOGA (9-17, 5-8 SoCon) | MERCER (14-10, 10-3 SoCon)

Up next
The Mocs conclude its road slate at Samford tomorrow night. First serve in Birmingham is slated for 8 p.m. EST.