BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Mocs volleyball has a tough slate of matches awaiting them this weekend as Chattanooga hits the road once again for a pair of matches against Samford and Mercer this Friday and Sunday.
Having won four of their last five matches, the Mocs (15-6, 3-3 SoCon) are looking to turn their midseason momentum into some crucial Southern Conference victories this weekend with UTC traveling to Birmingham on Friday, October 13 to take on Samford (8-10, 3-3 SoCon) before heading to Macon on Sunday, October 15 for a match against Mercer (8-9, 4-2 SoCon).
Friday's match against the Bulldogs is slated for an 8 p.m. ET start at the Pete Hanna Center and will have both live stats and a live stream on ESPN+ available to fans. Following an off day for the Mocs, they'll head to Hawkins Arena to take on the Bears at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. That match will only have live stats available to the public.
MATCH CENTRAL
Friday, October 13 | at Samford | 8:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, October 15 | at Mercer | 1:00 p.m. ET
Coverage Links: Live Stats (Samford) | Live Stream (Samford) | Live Stats (Mercer)
SERIES HISTORY
Samford: 18-35
Mercer: 20-18
INSIDE THE SERIES
UTC will be looking to claim a win on Friday against a Samford squad that they've had some trouble with in the past, as the Bulldogs enter the matchup with a record of 35-18 against the Mocs all-time. The last time these two teams met, however, Chattanooga earned a convincing 3-0 sweep over the Bulldogs in Maclellan Gymnasium last season. This time, the Mocs will be looking to do the same in Birmingham, a place where UTC has only won four times out of 24 matches on Samford's home court. The Mocs will then hit the road for a match against the Mercer Bears, whom UTC holds a 20-18 advantage over in the teams' series history. While the series went Mercer's way both times last season, the series has been a dead heat when played in Macon, with both teams having won seven times when Chattanooga is playing on the road. This also marks just the second time that the Mocs and Bears will be meeting on a Sunday, with the last time coming on February 28, 2021, during the spring COVID-19 season. Mercer would go on to win that match 3-1.
TORBETT EARNS CAREER WIN 500
In her 30th season as an NCAA volleyball coach, Julie Torbett officially hit milestone win No. 500 in her head coaching career, having reached the mark following Chattanooga's 3-0 sweep of Furman on October 6. In her 30 seasons, 27 of them have been with NCAA Division I programs including her two years at UTC, where she has tallied 32 of her 500 victories. Torbett's all-time head coaching record currently stands at 500-426.
ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST
Outside hitter Morgan Romano's impressive resume goes beyond her All-American status and UTC team-leading kill total this season, as the Oviedo, Florida, native leads the entire nation on the active career kills leaderboard across all levels of collegiate volleyball. She currently stands at 1,874 career kills, leading the likes of USC's Skylar Fields (1,845), Arkansas' Jillian Gillen (1,803) and Houston's Abbie Jackson (1,771).
REDMAN "SETS" THE STANDARD
Junior setter Elaine Redman has been on an absolute tear for the Mocs in 2023, with Redman currently averaging 35.91 assists per match and 9.54 assists per set for UTC on the year. Where Redman's numbers truly become impressive are when you look at the Chattanooga native's total assist number, which currently sits at the lucrative number of 754. Not only does that assists total lead the SoCon, but it currently ranks third in the entire NCAA (as of October 11). The last time a Moc finished Top 10 in the NCAA when it comes to assists? Never.
IT'S A VANZANDT BLOCK PARTY
The role of being UTC's primary blocker in 2023 has seemingly been claimed by junior transfer Chard'e Vanzandt as we continue to trek through SoCon play, with Vanzandt now having led the team in blocks in five of the last six matches for the Mocs. Vanzandt has already logged a new single-season high with 65 blocks in 2023, and Vanzandt currently leads the team and ranks ninth in the SoCon in blocks per set (0.82). Over the Houston, Texas, native's last eight matches, she has logged a career-high of six blocks two times, first against Gardner-Webb followed by UNCG, along with a pair of five-block nights against Furman and WCU and four-block nights against Wofford and ETSU. After averaging 2.38 blocks per match over her first 13 matches with the Mocs, Vanzandt has now grown into her blocking role for Chattanooga by averaging 4.25 blocks per match over her last eight appearances.
50 SEASONS OF CHATTANOOGA VOLLEYBALL
The 2023 season for the Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team marks a major landmark for the program and the university, as UTC volleyball officially celebrates its 50th season of competition as a university sponsored athletic program. Following the adoption of the Title IX legislation back in 1972, UTC added women's basketball, tennis, and volleyball programs to its roster of athletic teams, bringing on five decades of history for each of the teams.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
- Paige Gallentine now sits at 1,834 career digs. Ranking fourth all-time, she now needs just 224 to tie Kylie Hunter (1990-93) at 2,058 to enter the program's top three in career digs. She is also 166 from becoming the fourth Moc to record 2,000 digs in her career.
- Kate Neill (two away) and Sophia Bossong (10 away) are closing in on their 100th career appearances for the Mocs. Chard'e Vanzandt needs just seven more appearances to log her 100th across all levels of collegiate competition. She has played 50 in Division I alongside 43 NJCAA matches at Blinn JC.
- Gylian Finch has tallied 1,266 career kills, ranking fourth in program history. She now needs 206 kills to move past Leslee Ball (2004-07) for third all-time.
- Finch's 122 career aces rank fourth in program history. The next highest Moc for her to catch is Allie Davenport (2013-16) at 142 in her career. Finch also needs five aces to tie her previous season-best total of 37 total aces in 2019.
- Elaine Redman is just one assist away from recording 2,500 in her college career. 1,442 of her 2,499 have come while at UTC, while the remaining 1,057 came during her time at Toledo in 2021.
- Morgan Romano is in pursuit of reaching 2,000 kills in her career, as she currently sits at 1,874 and needs to finish her season with 126 more to hit the mark. The Mocs have 10 matches remaining in the 2023 regular season, meaning Romano would need to average 12.6 kills per match to hit the 2K kill threshold.
- Chard'e Vanzandt sits three blocks shy from hitting 100 at the NCAA Division I level. While at Blinn JC, Vanzandt recorded an additional 61 blocks, putting her at 158 at the college level, however those blocks do not count towards her official NCAA totals.
- Paige Gallentine needs four aces to tie her season-high for aces from last season (28). She currently sits at 24.
- Kate Neill is just 10 blocks away from having 200 in her career.
- Sophia Bossong is 17 kills away from 200 in her career.
ABOUT SAMFORD
Coming into the weekend riding a two-match win streak, the Samford Bulldogs are a below .500 team that poses a real threat to the UTC side as the Bulldogs hold an identical 3-3 SoCon record to Chattanooga. Samford has also played exceptionally well on their home floor this year, as the Bulldogs hold a 5-3 record at the Pete Hanna Center with two of those losses coming against ACC foe Florida State undefeated The Citadel. After being picked to finish second in the SoCon Preseason Coaches Poll, the Bulldogs have been an offensive force in the SoCon in 2023, ranking second in the league in aces per set (1.72) and third in assists per set (11.78) and hitting percentage (.221) as a team. Chattanooga will be tasked with having to stop star outside hitter Gracie Lynn Butler for Samford, who currently ranks second in the SoCon in kills per set (4.56) and points per set (5.09). A one-time SoCon Offensive Player of the Week this season, Butler was recognized as a Preseason All-Conference selection alongside teammate Kate Morgan. Morgan, who is averaging 3.83 digs per set this year, is the reigning 2022 Southern Conference Libero of the Year.
ABOUT MERCER
Despite also holding a below .500 record in 2023, Mercer poses as another sneaky threat to Chattanooga over the weekend as the Bears have been able to find their footing after crossing into SoCon play. After a 4-8 start to the year, Mercer has been able to grab wins in four of their past five matches to help turn the tide of their season and now sit third in the Southern Conference standings. The Bears will rely on the versatile play of Kylee Quigley, Skyler Bumpers and Abbey Havrilla to help propel themselves past UTC this Sunday, as all three players offer multiple dimensions to Mercer's match strategy. Quigley, who currently leads the Bears with 184 kills this season, also averages 0.46 aces per set in 2023, ranking third in the entire Southern Conference. Quigley isn't the only Mercer player to rank in the conference's Top 10 servers this year, as Havrilla currently ranks seventh (0.37 aces per set) in the category while also leading the team in digs with 246. Bumpers, meanwhile, has proven to be both an elite blocker and efficient scorer for Mercer this season as the junior currently averages 0.97 blocks per set alongside hitting the ball at a 36.9 percent clip this year.
FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA VOLLEYBALL
Follow @GoMocsVB on Twitter and @GoMocsVolleyball on Instagram for the most up-to-date information and news regarding Chattanooga volleyball.
Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. Check out the Mocs on the Mic podcast here.
