SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- Chattanooga volleyball's run as the No. 7 seed of the SoCon Tournament reached its conclusion Saturday night, as the Mocs fell 3-0 to tournament host and No. 3 seeded Wofford in the semifinals.
The Mocs (19-14, 6-10 SoCon) left it all out on the floor in what was their final match of the 2023 season, but a talented Terrier (22-7, 11-5 SoCon) team powered their way past UTC with their home crowd at their side to put an end to Chattanooga's Cinderella run. The 2023 season ends with the Mocs having earned 19 total wins, the most in a single season by a Chattanooga squad since 2016.
The Mocs opened up their match against the tournament hosts by exchanging blows with the No. 3 seed, as things would be all knotted up at 12-12 nearing the midway point of set one. From here, the Terriers ripped off a quick 8-1 scoring run on the Mocs to pull ahead 20-13. UTC wasn't able to make up much ground before Wofford closed out set one 25-18 to take a 1-0 advantage into the second.
Set two looked as though things may get out of hand for the Mocs squad, as the Terriers were able to pull out to a 13-8 lead on UTC. An 8-3 run by Chattanooga would put those doubts to bed, as the Mocs fought and threw everything they had at the home squad. Remaining a tightly contested set all the way to 23-23, the second set came down to who could score back-to-back points.
The Mocs saw a pair of opportunities to level things out with set points at 24-23 and 25-24 but came up just short in getting that last point to fall. After an error by the Mocs, one last ace from the Terriers gave Wofford the 27-25 set victory, jumping ahead 2-0 on Chattanooga.
UTC would need to reverse sweep to pull off their second consecutive tournament upset of the weekend, and the Mocs would hang with the Terriers all the way to a 10-10 scoreline in the third. However, a Wofford team that was being fueled by their home fans started to build a gap that the Mocs wouldn't be able to close. Ending the night with a 25-18 win in set three, Wofford secured the 3-0 sweep over UTC to end the Mocs' season in Spartanburg.
Junior Chard'e Vanzandt left it all on the floor for the Mocs, leading the team in kills (12) and blocks (4). Paige Gallentine would lead the team with 21 digs on the night, her 14th match with 20+ digs this season, while setter Elaine Redman finished her season with her 17th double-double of the year (29 assists, 11 digs).
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.
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.
