CHATTANOOGA --- Southern Conference action is set to get underway at Maclellan Gymnasium this weekend for Chattanooga volleyball, as the Mocs are set to host The Citadel and Wofford to open up the team's 2023 SoCon slate.
The Mocs (11-3) will have a difficult weekend to navigate, with UTC beginning the weekend by hosting undefeated The Citadel (12-0) on Friday, September 22 at 6 p.m. ET. Chattanooga will then need to regroup for the second match of the weekend on Saturday, September 23, as the Mocs welcome two-loss Wofford (9-2) to Maclellan Gym. That match is set to start at 4 p.m. ET.
Both of this weekend's matches will be available to stream on ESPN+, and there will also be live stats available to fans online. The two matches, as well as all UTC volleyball matches, are free and open to the public.
MATCH CENTRAL
Friday, September 22 | vs. The Citadel | 6:00 p.m. ET
Saturday, September 23 | vs. Wofford | 4:00 p.m. ET
Coverage Links: Live Stats | Live Stream (UTC v CIT) | Live Stream (UTC v WOF)
MATCH PROMOTION: CAMPERS REUNION
Saturday's match against Wofford will serve as the annual Chattanooga Campers Reunion match, in which the team welcomes back all campers that took part in the UTC Volleyball camp this past summer. Chattanooga Croc charms will be given out to the first 100 fans in attendance, and there will also be post-match autographs by the Mocs volleyball team. All campers in attendance will have the chance to show off their skills that they learned this summer, as they will be competing in an on-court scrimmage between the second and third sets.
SERIES HISTORY
The Citadel: 34-6
Wofford: 33-13
INSIDE THE SERIES
Looking at past UTC matchups with The Citadel, the Mocs of old have handily defeated the Bulldogs across the teams' previous 40 meetings, with Chattanooga holding a 34-6 record against The Citadel. When playing at Maclellan, the Mocs have only ever lost to the Bulldogs once back in 2018, as UTC has a 16-1 record when hosting The Citadel. As for Wofford, the Mocs also hold a heavy advantage in that all-time series with UTC going 33-13 against the Terriers. The Mocs are 20-2 against Wofford when playing at home. Chattanooga has won their past three meetings with both teams, as UTC will be looking to continue their streaks this weekend.
TORBETT APPROACHES HISTORY
In her 30th season as an NCAA volleyball coach, Julie Torbett approaches history as she now sits just four wins away from her 500th victory with a career record of 496-423. Of her 30 seasons, 27 of them have come with NCAA Division I programs including her two years as Director of Volleyball at UTC.
KICKING OFF SOCON ACTION
The Chattanooga Classic marked the team's final three non-conference matches before delving into their first taste of Southern Conference action by hosting undefeated The Citadel (12-0) and a difficult Wofford (9-2) squad at Maclellan this weekend. These are the first of 16 total SoCon matches for the Mocs, eight of which will be played at home. The Mocs will also travel to Alabama A&M on October 3 to officially close out non-conference play.
THREEPEAT FOR THE MOCS
UTC came away with their third tournament title of the 2023 season this past weekend, going 2-1 at the team's home tournament, the Chattanooga Classic. The Mocs grabbed wins over Eastern Michigan and Morehead State before falling in a five-set thriller to Gardner-Webb in the tournament finale. Despite the loss, the Mocs held the tiebreaker advantage over MSU and GWU, giving Chattanooga tournament win No. 3 of the year. The last time the Mocs won three of their non-conference tournaments in a single season? That would be 1996, when UTC would take home titles at the Tennessee Preview, the Radford Invitational, and the UNCG Tournament to open the year. That 1996 Mocs squad ultimately finished the year 26-11 (11-3 SoCon) and went on to win the 1996 Southern Conference Tournament, clinching the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
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 1,763 career kills, leading the likes of Arkansas' Jillian Gillen (1,731) and Houston's Abbie Jackson (1,720).
CAN I DIG IT? YES YOU CAN
With a digs per set average of 17.4 as a team, UTC currently ranks ninth in the entire NCAA in the category while leading the Southern Conference. Leading the charge for the Mocs is junior libero Paige Gallentine, who currently averages 18.07 digs per match and 4.77 digs per set. Her digs per set average ranks second in the SoCon and 37th in the NCAA. Gallentine is on pace to lead the team in digs for the fourth consecutive season, and currently ranks fifth all-time in program history.
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 1,698 career digs. Ranking fifth all-time, she is now 101 away from tying Kari Krouse (2000-03) for fourth in program history.
- Gallentine is also seven matches from her 100th career appearance for the Mocs.
- Gylian Finch has tallied 1,161 career kills, ranking sixth in program history. She is just 20 kills away from moving past Carol Reedus (1997-00) for fifth all-time. The next highest Mocs is Cheryl Theis (1998-01) who sits at 1,226.
- Finch's 112 career aces rank seventh in program history, one shy of Katy Lusetti in sixth. The next highest is Kylie Hunter (1990-93) at 118.
- Marcelle Baez-Carlo is nine blocks away from logging her 200th of her career with the Mocs.
- Halle Olson is only four kills from crossing the 400 mark in her career. 322 of those have come while at UTC.
- Elaine Redman needs three more blocks to hit 100 career blocks in her time at UTC and Toledo.
- Chloe Bryan is only five kills away from hitting the 300-kill mark in her career with the Mocs.
- Sophia Bossong is 23 kills away from hitting the 200 mark.
ABOUT THE CITADEL
There is no hotter team in the Southern Conference right now than The Citadel, as the Bulldogs enter their Friday clash with the Mocs a perfect 12-0 to open the 2023 season. Seven of the Bulldogs' wins have come in the form of 3-0 sweeps this year, and the Bulldogs currently lead the SoCon in every offensive category as a team in including hit percentage (.249), assists per set (12.49), kills per set (13.69) and aces per set (2.13). The Citadel has also limited their opponents to logging a conference-best 10.56 kills per set, the lowest allowed kills average in the SoCon by nearly one full kill. The Citadel's offense is primarily run through the two-headed monster of outside hitter Ali Ruffin and setter Belle Hogan, as Ruffin currently leads the Southern Conference in kills/set (4.68) while Hogan leads the SoCon in assist/set (10.27). Ruffin was the lone Bulldog to receive preseason recognition for The Citadel, as the junior was named to the 2023 Preseason All-Conference Team.
ABOUT WOFFORD
The Terriers enter their weekend 9-2 on the young 2023 season, with the team's only two losses coming to Power-5 foe Clemson and High Point University. On the offensive side of things, Wofford is one of the most efficient teams in the entire Southern Conference as the Terriers rank second in hitting percentage at .237. For Chattanooga, however, it's Wofford's defensive prowess that poses the greatest threat this weekend as Wofford currently leads the entire SoCon in blocks per set (2.45) as well as holding their opponents to the lowest hit percentage in the conference at .145.The Wofford block party is headlined by the duo of Millie Loehr and Sarah Barham, who currently rank first and second in the conference in blocks per set individually. Loehr leads the conference with 1.18 blocks per set, while Barham follows closely behind at 1.12 per set. So far this season, the Wofford defense has taken home three of the SoCon's four Defensive Player of the Week honors.
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