CHATTANOOGA --- Chattanooga volleyball came up short in their Thursday night clash with Mercer at Maclellan Gymnasium, with the Bears claiming a 3-1 victory on the night.
Despite a historic night from the likes of Morgan Romano and Paige Gallentine for the Mocs (18-12, 6-9 SoCon), a strong defensive outing from the Bears (15-11, 11-4 SoCon) was enough for Mercer to navigate their way past UTC for the Bears.
A strong start to the match for UTC had the Mocs up 19-11 and looking to strike first against the Bears in the match. However, the Mercer attack slowly began inching its way back into the match, chipping away at the Chattanooga lead until the Mocs only led 22-19. From here, the Bears would go on a 6-0 scoring run to close out set one with a 25-22 win over UTC to steal the opening frame.
After their comeback in the first, the Bears continued to click in the second set earning a 25-19 victory to jump ahead 2-0 on the Mocs. To win the match, Chattanooga would now need to pull off the reverse sweep on Mercer, something the team has only done once before in 2023.
Set three would prove pivotal in the match, as the Mocs were fighting to stay alive while Mercer aimed to hand Chattanooga a sweep on their home floor. While the set opened with the teams trading kills, Mercer would eventually find itself up 22-17, looking to pull off the sweep.
A kill by Elaine Redman quickly shifted the tide, however, as Mercer proceeded to implode as UTC charged back into a 22-22 tie on a 5-0 scoring run. The teams then continued to swap leads going all the way up to 25-25, but a pair of closing kills by Halle Olson and Morgan Romano helped seal set three for the Mocs, avoiding the Mercer sweep to bring the score to 2-1.
Set three also saw a pair of Mocs reach historic milestones for the team, as grad transfer Morgan Romano officially recorded her 2000th career kill and junior libero Paige Gallentine notched her 2000th career dig in the set. Romano is currently just the second player in the NCAA to actively have over 2000 kills in her career, while Gallentine has become the fourth Moc in program history to surpass 2K digs.
The celebration for the duo would be brief, as the Mocs were now looking to charge back into the match in set four. The teams jockeyed for position to start set four, reaching a knotted 10-10 score early in the frame. After a quick 6-0 scoring flurry for the Bears, things took a turn as UTC was never able to fully make up the ground that was lost to Mercer. With a set four score of 25-21, the Bears finished off the Mocs to capture a 3-1 win in Maclellan.
The Mocs were led in scoring by Morgan Romano, who finished with 18 total kills on the night, while setter Elaine Redman paced the team with 43 assists. Paige Gallentine recorded 28 total digs for the Mocs on the night, marking her 13th match with 20+ digs this season and a UTC team-high. Marcelle Baez-Carlo would finish atop the blocking column for Chattanooga, coming off the bench to swat five.
UP NEXT
The Mocs will now close out their regular season with a Senior Night matchup at Maclellan Gymnasium against Samford (13-13, 8-6 SoCon). The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. ET and will be available to be streamed on ESPN+, and fans are encouraged to arrive early to celebrate the 2023 Chattanooga volleyball seniors with a senior trading card giveaway.
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.
