Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ala. --- Chattanooga volleyball came away with its ninth victory of the 2023 season on Tuesday night in Alabama, as the Mocs downed non-conference foe Jacksonville State 3-1 on the road.
Despite a slow start from the Mocs (9-2), a veteran-loaded UTC lineup was able to keep its composure in a hostile environment to take down the Gamecocks (2-8) in four sets. The Mocs now return home to Maclellan Gymnasium to host their final three non-conference matches of the season at the Chattanooga Classic.
"Tonight was tough, we had to work for every point," head coach Julie Torbett said. "We found out some things that we need to work on, but that's what we play these non-cons for. I really thought they gave us a tough test tonight so props to them."
The Mocs were put on the backfoot early by JSU, as errors and miscues by UTC saw the Gamecocks take a lead that they would hold all the way through the first set. Even with a late surge by the Mocs, Jacksonville State's .395 hitting percentage in set one allowed the Gamecocks to fend it off to take a 1-0 lead with a 25-18 set win.
UTC was able to respond immediately in the second frame by grabbing a 25-21 set victory to level the score at 1-1. The Chattanooga offense leaned heavily on the hitting of grad student Gylian Finch to provide the spark in the second, as she recorded five of her 18 kills in the second set.
"We knew coming in that they were going to be a really strong team, especially with their serving," Finch said. "Once we knew what their gameplan was, it was just a matter of us finding the solution for how we were going to solve their serving strategy."
After breaking through JSU once, the Mocs found their form moving forward in the match with UTC jumping out early in set three. Even when the Gamecocks put together a run as the set winded down, the experienced Mocs kept their composure with the team closing out a 25-23 set victory to take a 2-1 lead on Jacksonville State.
"I like the fact that these girls have all been in these kinds of situations before," Torbett said. "They're older, they're more mature and you can get onto them and they'll respond. That makes my job a little bit easier. We only have one freshman on the floor so it's so good that they have that experience."
Now riding back-to-back set wins, the Mocs were matching their form from earlier in the season to start off the set once again with the lead. The entirety of the fourth set, the Mocs were able to keep the Gamecocks at a safe enough distance to close out the set 25-21 and the match 3-1 to claim win No. 9 of the season.
Gylian Finch once again finished as the team's leader in kills (18) on the night, continuing a four-match streak, while setter Elaine Redman logged 41 assists for the Mocs. This is the fifth time this season that Redman has finished with 40+ assists in a match.
Defensively a total of three Mocs ended the night with a team-high 15 digs, with Paige Gallentine, Morgan Romano and Elaine Redman all doing so. Romano also finished as the team-leader in blocks with three. Finch, Romano and Redman all ended the night with double-doubles for UTC.
UP NEXT
The Mocs will now return home to close out the team's non-conference slate by hosting the annual Chattanooga Classic, set to run September 15-16 at Maclellan Gymnasium. The Mocs' tournament schedule will begin with a pair of matches on Friday, September 15 against the likes of Eastern Michigan (2-7) and Morehead State (5-4) at 11 a.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET, respectively. UTC will then close out their weekend against Gardner-Webb (3-5) on Saturday, September 16. That match is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET start time.
"It's just such a good way to be able to go into conference play" Halle Olson said. "It's never fun heading into conference on the road so to be able to have an entire tournament at home and then two more at home, I think it's really going to help us gel and find success early-on in conference."
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.
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.
