MACON, Ga. --- The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team suffered its first Southern Conference defeat of the season on Friday evening, falling in straight sets 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-18) on the road at Mercer in Macon, Ga.
 
Following the loss, Chattanooga drops to 7-10 overall and 2-1 in league action. Mercer improves to 5-10 overall and 1-2 in SoCon play and snaps a six-match skid.
 
"We appeared that we were not ready to play. They jumped on us early and never looked back," said head coach Julie Torbett.
 
"We are still trying to get some confidence, but also work hard and be consistent."
 
It was all Mercer from the jump as the Bears opened the match with a convincing 25-13 win in the first set, holding the Mocs to a lowly -.091 attacking percentage during the frame. It was much of the same in sets two and three as Mercer claimed 25-15 and 25-18 victories, respectively, to earn the 3-0 sweep.
 
Chattanooga was held to a .023 attacking percentage for the match while the opposition attacked at an efficient .321 clip. The Bears attempted two less attacks (84-86) than the Mocs but finished the match with a 13+ advantage in kills at a 38-25 margin. UTC also committed 12 more attacking errors than the home team.
 
Natalie Tyson led the Mocs with a team-high nine kills at a .179 clip while adding in five digs. Halle Olson trailed Tyson in the kill column with four.
 
Defensively, UTC recorded just 28 digs which is far under their SoCon-best 16.60 digs per set average. Elaine Redman led the team with seven digs and 21 assists while star libero Paige Gallentine ended the contest with five digs. Makenzie Jordan wrapped up the match with five digs.
 
UP NEXT
Chattanooga heads to Birmingham, Ala., to face SoCon foe Samford tomorrow, for a 5 p.m. ET matchup on ESPN+. The Mocs are searching for their first road win at Samford since 2010. Match coverage links are available on the schedule page.
 
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