CHATTANOOGA --- The Mocs volleyball team has returned home for some Homecoming weekend action this Friday and Saturday, as Chattanooga will host Furman and Western Carolina on October 6-7 at Maclellan Gymnasium.
Riding a three-match win streak into the weekend slate, UTC (14-5, 2-2 SoCon) are shooting to earn head coach Julie Torbett her 500th career head coaching win, as Coach Torbett currently sits at 499 heading into the Mocs' matchups against Furman (12-3, 3-1 SoCon) and Western Carolina (4-11, 1-3 SoCon).
To open the weekend, the Mocs will be taking on Furman at 6 p.m. ET at Maclellan Gymnasium on Friday, October 6. The team will then have to turn around to play WCU at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 7 to close out the two-match homestand. Both matches are free and open to the public and will have live stats available. Only Friday's match against the Paladins will be available to stream on ESPN+.
MATCH CENTRAL
Friday, October 6 | vs. Furman | 6:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, October 7 | vs. Western Carolina | 7:30 p.m. ET
Coverage Links: Live Stats (Furman) | Live Stream (Furman) | Live Stats (WCU)
SERIES HISTORY
Furman: 28-50
WCU: 42-47
INSIDE THE SERIES
To open the weekend, the Mocs will faceoff against a Furman team that has proven tough to defeat in the past, as the Paladins currently lead the all-time series against UTC 50-28. While it's been some tough sledding for Chattanooga, things have been even between the two sides as of late with the past 10 matchups resulting in six Furman victories to four UTC victories. Things are also even between the squads when playing at Maclellan Gymnasium, as Furman only holds a 20-17 advantage over the Mocs when playing in Chattanooga. Following the match against Furman, the Mocs will have to take on Western Carolina, a team that has caused fits for UTC as of late. While WCU only leads the all-time series 47-42, the Catamounts have been able to win eight of the past 10 matches against the Mocs. Prior to UTC's win over WCU in the teams' most recent match last November, the Catamounts had won the previous seven matchups. When playing at The Mac, however, Chattanooga holds a 23-16 advantage over Western Carolina that they'll look to continue to build upon this Saturday.
TORBETT ONE AWAY FROM HISTORY
In her 30th season as an NCAA volleyball coach, Julie Torbett sits on the cusp of a milestone victory in her career, with her now just one win away from earning her 500th career win with a career record of 499-425. Of her 30 seasons, 27 of them have come with NCAA Division I programs including her two years as Director of Volleyball at UTC, where she has tallied 31 of her 499 wins so far.
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 1,852 career kills, leading the likes of USC's Skylar Fields (1,798), Arkansas' Jillian Gillen (1,773) and Houston's Abbie Jackson (1,748).
REDMAN "SETS" THE STANDARD
Junior setter Elaine Redman has been on an absolute tear for the Mocs in 2023, with Redman currently averaging 36.37 assists per match and 9.60 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 691. Not only does that assists total lead the SoCon, but it currently ranks second in the entire NCAA (as of October 5). The last time a Moc finished Top 10 in the NCAA when it comes to assists? Never.
FINCH AND REDMAN NAMED SOCON POTW
The Mocs raked in multiple SoCon Player of the Week awards following the team's 2-0 road trip over the weekend, as Gylian Finch and Elaine Redman received Southern Conference Offensive Player and Setter of the Week honors, respectively. Finch proved crucial in each of UTC's wins, tallying 45 kills over the two matches including a monstrous 28-kill performance against UNCG. Finch would also record double-doubles in both matches, finishing at 12 digs against the Bucs and the Spartans. Redman's weekend would be highlighted by her tallying a staggering 98 assists in the team's two road matchups, first with a 48-assist, 11-dig night at ETSU before logging 50 assists alongside a career-high four blocks against UNCG. Redman has now recorded 30+ assists 12 times, 40+ assists eight times, and 50+ assists twice in the 2023 season.
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. UTC volleyball will be holding a celebration of the team's 50 seasons of history during the team's pair of home matches October 6 and 7 during Homecoming Weekend.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
- Paige Gallentine now sits at 1,793 career digs. Ranking fourth all-time, she now needs just 265 to tie Kylie Hunter (1990-93) at 2,058 to enter the program's top three in career digs. She is also 207 from becoming the fourth Moc to record 2,000 digs in her career.
- Gallentine is also two matches from her 100th career appearance for the Mocs.
- Other Mocs closing in on their 100th career match are Kate Neill (four away) and Sophia Bossong (12 away). Chard'e Vanzandt needs just two more appearances to log her 50th in Division I (she also played 43 NJCAA matches at Blinn JC, putting her at 91 collegiate matches across all levels of competition).
- Gylian Finch has tallied 1,236 career kills, ranking fourth in program history. She now needs 236 kills to move past Leslee Ball (2004-07) for third all-time.
- Finch's 117 career aces rank sixth in program history. The next highest Moc for her to catch is Kylie Hunter (1990-93) at 118, followed by Heather Gibson (1989-92) at 120.
- Morgan Romano needs just one more match with 10+ kills to hit 100 career matches with double-digit kills.
- Romano is also in pursuit of reaching 2,000 kills in her career, as she currently sits at 1,852 and needs to finish her season with 148 more to hit the mark. The Mocs have 12 matches remaining in 2023, meaning Romano would need to average 12.33 kills per match to hit the 2K kill threshold.
- Marcelle Baez-Carlo is four blocks away from logging her 200th of her career with the Mocs.
- Kate Neill is just 11 blocks away from passing 200 in her career as well.
- Sophia Bossong is 19 kills away from hitting the 200 mark in her career.
ABOUT FURMAN
The Paladins enter their matchup with the Mocs with a record of 12-3 in 2023, including starting SoCon play with a 3-1 record in their first four conference matches. Furman's losses this year include a 3-0 defeat to Power 5 foe Virginia Tech at their home Hokie Invitational tournament, along with dropping their matches against Marshall and Wofford. Having won seven of their last eight, the Paladins currently rank just ahead of the Mocs in third place in the Southern Conference standings prior to the two teams meeting this Friday. Furman's defense is what will make or break the match for the Paladins, as Furman currently ranks second in the SoCon as a team when it comes to blocks per set (2.19) and third for digs per set (15.84). The Furman defense will look to the blocking duo of Izzy Castelloe and Grainne McGrath, who rank fourth and fifth in the SoCon for blocks this season at 0.95 and 0.94 blocks per set, respectively. The Paladin offense has a wide variety of weapons to go to in the kills department, with five players sitting above 90 kills and four sitting above 100 on the year.
ABOUT WESTERN CAROLINA
Not long after the Mocs and Catamounts face one another on the gridiron on Saturday for UTC's Homecoming game, the two teams will clash at Maclellan Gymnasium for some Saturday night SoCon play. WCU enters the weekend 4-11 (1-3 SoCon) this season, carrying a three-match losing streak into the week after the team had won its SoCon opener 3-2 against ETSU. Despite the tough record, many of the Catamounts' losses in non-conference play came against Power 5 competition, as WCU squared off against the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Clemson and TCU in the early half of the year. Western Carolina currently sits seventh in the Southern Conference standings, with the Catamounts ranking near the middle of the conference in nearly every statistical category including being fourth in the conference in blocks per set (1.87) as a team. The tandem of Bailey Hartsough and Eden Punch will be the ones to watch for the Catamounts, which each receiving Preseason All-Southern Conference nods prior to the 2023 season kicking off. Hartsough currently averages 9.80 kills per match for WCU, while Punch leads the team with 50 blocks on the year so far, averaging 0.91 per set.
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