SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- Chattanooga volleyball picked up a major SoCon victory on the road Saturday, as a resilient Moc side was able to take home a 3-1 victory over Wofford in Spartanburg.
The Mocs (16-8, 4-5 SoCon) went down early against the conference's second place team in the Terriers (15-5, 6-3 SoCon), but the scrappy team of veterans for Chattanooga rolled up their sleeves to surge past Wofford 3-1 to pick up a much-needed conference win for UTC.
"We had a really great game plan going in and the players didn't abandon it after the first set," head coach Julie Torbett said. "We served and passed really well – making it easier to block and defend. It was a total team effort and a much needed win."
It was an ugly start to the night for UTC, as the Mocs found little success early on against the Terriers. With Wofford hitting a scorching 53.1 percent compared to the Mocs' 17.2 percent in the opening frame, it looked as though UTC was in for a long night after dropping set one 25-10 to the Terriers.
The second set was a turning point for UTC, however, thanks in large part to numerous Wofford errors that allowed the Mocs to find their footing. The Mocs would ultimately force 11 errors out of Wofford in set two, including holding the Terriers to a zero percent hit percentage as a team. With a 25-17 set win, the Mocs were back to level with Wofford.
Now riding a wave of momentum from their set win, the Mocs turned up the heat on the Terriers with grad student Morgan Romano carrying much of the load on offense. Romano, who finished her night with a team-high 14 kills, pushed the team's intensity up to 11 as the Mocs came away with a 25-20 victory in set three to take a 2-1 lead.
Sensing an opportunity to slam the door shut on Wofford, the Mocs didn't waste a chance to end the night in four sets as UTC dismantled the Terriers in what was the Mocs' best set of the evening. Thanks in large part to five total aces in the fourth set alone, Chattanooga cruised through the fourth frame before ultimately claiming a 25-12 win in the fourth. Even after their early-match woes, the Mocs were bringing home a 3-1 win.
A total of four Mocs ended their night with double-digit digs as Paige Gallentine (25), Elaine Redman (16), Gylian Finch (11) and Halle Olson (11) all hit the mark for the Mocs. Redman's night would also end with a double-double, as her 16 digs were accompanied by 24 assists.
Three UTC players would also end their nights with multiple aces. Gallentine led the team with three, while Morgan Romano and Chard'e Vanzandt each recorded two for Chattanooga.
UP NEXT
Riding the momentum of their crucial conference victory over Wofford, the Mocs are now set to close out their road stand with arguably their biggest match of the 2023 season on Saturday. The Mocs are set to travel to Charleston to take on undefeated The Citadel (21-0, 9-0 SoCon) Saturday evening with a chance to play spoiler to the Bulldogs' bid for a perfect season, as well as collecting another win with major SoCon Tournament implications. The Mocs and Bulldogs are set to clash at 4 p.m. ET with a live stream being offered on ESPN+.
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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