JACKSONVILLE, Ala. --- The Chattanooga volleyball team hits the road for a day trip down to Jacksonville, Alabama, on September 12 as the Mocs are set to square off with Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. ET.
The Mocs (8-2) will head into a hostile environment as the Gamecocks (2-7) are set to play host to UTC at the Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville.
Tuesday's match against the Gamecocks will have live stats available to the public, as well as be available to stream on ESPN+. The on-site start time for the match is 6 p.m. CT, as Jacksonville resides in the central time zone, but fans following along in Chattanooga can tune in at 7 p.m. ET.
MATCH CENTRAL
Tuesday, September 12 | at Jacksonville State | 7:00 p.m. ET
Coverage Links: Live Stats | Live Stream
SERIES HISTORY
Jacksonville State: 6-5
INSIDE THE SERIES
All-time the Mocs have a slight edge in their past contests against JSU, holding a record of 6-5 against the Gamecocks. However, UTC is on a slight skid having lost their previous two matchups against Jacksonville State, with the teams' most recent meeting being a 3-0 JSU win on August 31, 2021. While the Mocs are a perfect 4-0 when hosting Jacksonville State at Maclellan Gymnasium, the team will look to improve on past road performances as Jacksonville State holds a 4-2 record on the Mocs when hosting Chattanooga.
TORBETT APPROACHES HISTORY
In her 30th season as an NCAA volleyball coach, Julie Torbett approaches history as she now sits just seven wins away from her 500th victory with a career record of 493-422. Of her 30 seasons, 27 of them have come with NCAA Division I programs including her two years as Director of Volleyball at UTC.
FEELS LIKE '87
The UTC volleyball team made history last Wednesday following the team's 3-1 win over Austin Peay in their home-opener at Maclellan Gymnasium, as the Mocs got off to the best start in program history dating back to 1987, starting 6-1. The 1987 Mocs team also started 6-1, and ultimately went on to finish 20-8 overall while winning the Southern Conference Tournament under head coach Tony Jadin. The program record for best start to a season belongs to the 1986 UTC squad, with that team having started their year 10-0 before going on to finish 17-7.
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 1,677 career kills, leading the likes of Houston's Abbie Jackson (1,669) and Arkansas' Jillian Gillen (1,648).
WILL YOU BE MY GALLENTINE?
Junior Paige Gallentine put on a defensive masterclass for the Mocs over the team's past four matches, as the Fenton, Michigan, native tallied a total of 102 digs, averaging 25.5 per match and 6.38 per set. Gallentine opened her week with 23 and 22-dig performances against Austin Peay and Georgia State, but it was her match against Murray State that was truly special. Against the Racers, Gallentine finished with a career-high 43 digs, shattering her previous personal-best of 35 while marking the most digs recorded in a single match by a Moc since 2008. Gallentine also notched a career-high five aces against MSU as well. Gallentine capped off her week with 14 digs against Eastern Kentucky and has now logged double-digit digs in nine of the team's 10 matches this 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 1,630 career digs. Ranking fifth all-time, she is now 139 away from tying Kari Krouse (2000-03) for fourth in program history.
- Gallentine is also 11 matches from her 100th career appearance for the Mocs.
- Gylian Finch has tallied 1,111 career kills, ranking seventh in program history. She is just 22 kills away from moving past Kylie Hunter (1990-93) for sixth all-time.
- Finch's 104 career aces rank ninth in program history, one shy of Bethany Herndon in eighth. The next highest is Dina Parris (1984-87) at 111.
- Freshman Caiti Barthel is just one dig away from logging her 100th with the Mocs in her young career.
- Morgan Romano is 16 digs away from hitting the 1000-dig mark in her career spanning between UTC and Rider.
- Romano is also three blocks away from her 150th.
- Chloe Bryan is only five kills away from hitting the 300-kill mark in her career with the Mocs.
- Sophia Bossong is six blocks away from 50 in her career, as well as 23 kills away from hitting 200.
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE STATE
JSU has had a slow start to their 2023 season, opening the year with a record of 2-7. While all seven of the team's losses came in the form of sweeps, the Gamecocks do enter their match against the Mocs coming off of a 3-0 sweep win of their own against Arkansas - Pine Bluff over the weekend. The offensive duo of Kaylee Moseley and Morgan McClure pose a threat to the UTC defense, as the Gamecock pair recorded a combined 23 kills on 52 attacks (.442) in JSU's win over APBU. This match marks the home-opener for Jacksonville State this season, having played all of their matches at neutral/road venues.
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