BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Chattanooga volleyball wasn't able to come out on top in their road conference matchup with Samford on Friday night, as UTC ultimately fell at the hands of a Bulldog sweep in Birmingham.
A slow start by the Mocs (15-7, 3-4 SoCon) set the tone for the remainder of the match against the Bulldogs (9-11, 4-4 SoCon) on Friday night at the Pete Hanna Center, as a late UTC push was held off by Samford resulting in a 3-0 loss for the Mocs.
The Bulldogs were able to set the tone early with a pair of 25-16 set wins over the Mocs fueled by Gracie Lynn Butler, who nearly logged a double-double through the first two sets with nine kills and nine digs. Trailing 2-0, the Mocs needed a momentum shift in their favor to avoid the sweep.
With their backs against the wall, the Mocs looked to Chard'e Vanzandt to help spark a struggling UTC offense and the junior delivered, notching half of her kill total on the night in the third. Now generating some offense, UTC was able to keep things tight with Samford all the way up until it was an 18-18 scoreline in set three. From here, the Bulldogs were able to put away the Mocs 25-21, taking the match 3-0.
Vanzandt finished the night with a team-high eight kills while Elaine Redman led the Mocs with 18 assists. Paige Gallentine was also able to extend her double-digit dig streak to 16 consecutive matches as she recorded a team-best 14.
UP NEXT
UTC will now have an off day on Saturday to rest up for a Sunday clash with Mercer (9-9, 5-2 SoCon) in Macon, Georgia. The match against the Bears is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon in Hawkins Arena and will only have live stats available for fans not in attendance. Sunday's match is also the midpoint of SoCon play for Chattanooga this season, with that match marking the ninth of 18 Southern Conference ties scheduled for the Mocs in 2023.
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.
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