ATHENS, Ga. – A new era of Chattanooga Volleyball has begun. The indoor volleyball team and first-year Head Coach Julie Torbett will open the 2022 season on Friday, August 26 against Santa Clara at 3 p.m. at the Classic City Clash in Athens, Ga. hosted by the University of Georgia. On Saturday, the team will face Georgia and Troy.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Friday, August 26
Chattanooga vs. Santa Clara – 3 p.m. (LIVE STATS)

Saturday, August 27.
Chattanooga at Georgia – 11 a.m. (ESPN+) | (LIVE STATS)
Chattanooga vs. Troy – 5:30 p.m. (LIVE STATS)

YEAR 29
This is season will be Julie Torbett's 29th year as the head coach of an NCAA Volleyball program. She holds an 468-404 overall record with 26 seasons at Division I schools. Among those programs she coached 17 seasons at UNC Asheville with a 304-257 record and two conference titles. Her 11 other seasons have been at East Carolina (7), Winthrop (2) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) (2). 

WHO'S NEW?
Since being hired on Jan. 4, Torbett has brought in five transfers and one freshman. She is reuniting with Natalie Tyson and Sydney Hall after the duo played for her at East Carolina. She also welcomed Halle Olson from FAU and Nailah Jones from Chicago State. The final transfer is returning home to play in the Scenic City. Elaine Redman was the starting setter for Toledo last year and comes to Chattanooga with three years of eligibility remaining. The lone freshman on the squad is Cassidy Couch who made her way to UTC from Murfreesboro.

WHO'S BACK?
The team is returning its leader in digs, assists and blocks from last year. Sophia Bossong will join Redman at the setter position, she led the squad with 974 assists last season. In the back row, Paige Gallentine accounted for 48% of the team's digs with 585. Lastly, Marcelle Baez-Carlo paced the 2021 squad with 112 blocks. Her 1.30 blocks per set were the second-most by a Moc in program history. Overall, the team is returning 43% of its kills, 88% of assists, 57% of aces, 62% of digs, 56% of blocks and 47% of its total points from last season.

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
- Incoming ECU transfer Natalie Tyson currently sits 14 kills away from 800 in her career. She is also five blocks away from 100 in her career.
- Coniah Davis also has 95 career blocks, all coming at UTC.
- Sophia Bossong is 42 digs away from 500 in her career.

SCOUTING SANTA CLARA
The Broncos were picked fifth in the West Coast Conference by the league's coaches. Senior Julie Sangiacomo was tabbed to the All-WCC Preseason Team. She enters her senior season with 1,053 kills, 639 digs, 143 blocks and 91 aces. Last season, the team went 12-15 overall with an 8-9 record in league play. The Mocs and the Broncos will open the season Friday in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

A LOOK AT GEORGIA
Georgia was slated to finish ninth (out of 13) in the SEC Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs concluded the 2021 campaign with a 12-17 overall record and went 8-10 in league action. The hosts of this weekend's tournament are led by senior outside hitters Kacie Evans and Amber Stivrins. Additionally, the Dogs brought in a 6-5 middle blocker from Kentucky in Sophia Fischer. Overall, Georgia returns four starts and a libero from last season and brought in four newcomers. Georgia leads the all-time series against UTC, 2-0.

SCOUTING TROY
Troy was tabbed third in the Sun Belt Coaches' Preseason Poll and junior Julia Brooks was named to the All-Sun Belt Preseason Team. Last season, she earned All-Sun Belt first team accolades after being the only player in the conference to be ranked in the top 10 in four statistical categories (hitting percent, kills/set, blocks/set & points/set). In 2021, Troy finished 18-13 overall with a 9-7 conference record. The Trojans lead the all time series against UTC, 5-3.

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