BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Chattanooga volleyball steamrolled its way past Samford on Saturday night in Birmingham, with the Mocs downing the third-place Bulldogs in a three-set sweep on their home floor.
The Mocs looked head and shoulders better than the Bulldogs in every facet of the match on Saturday night, as UTC out-killed (39-33), out-hit (.363-.155), out-served (7-5), out-blocked (8-3) and out-dug (40-37) Samford in what could only be classified as a blowout victory by the Mocs.
The win marks Chattanooga's first road win against the Bulldogs since the 2010 season, during which the Mocs captured a 3-1 victory in Birmingham. The last time the Mocs swept the Bulldogs on the road? October 15, 1996.
"The team was very prepared for the match," head coach Julie Torbett Thomas said. "I thought Elaine (Redman) was amazing running the offense. Sydney (Jackwin) played great and Chard'e (Vanzandt) was scary at times. She was so good.
"To come in and sweep a really good program like Samford – it took everyone."
The opening two frames were dominated by the Chattanooga attack, as the Mocs would end up swinging at .394 and .433 clips in the first and second sets, respectively. After grabbing the first set 25-21, the Mocs put together their best frame of the night in the second by running away with a 25-17 victory to go up 2-0 on the Bulldogs.
In the third and final set, it was UTC's defense that proved the fatal blow in the match with the Mocs limiting the Bulldogs to an abysmal negative .029 hitting percentage, finishing the set with more errors (10) than kills (9).
Chattanooga's Sydney Jackwin and Chard'e Vanzandt tore the Bulldogs to shreds offensively with Jackwin ending the night with 13 kills on a .303 hitting percentage while Vanzandt added 12 kills on a blazing-hot .688 hand. The trio of Paige Gallentine, Jackwin and Vanzandt also notched crucial points for UTC on the serve, with each player ending her night with a team-leading two aces.
Gallentine also helped give the Mocs the edge defensively behind a team-leading 14-dig performance. Both Erin Wyatt and Kynli Kirkendoll rounded out the Mocs' defensive effort by tying for a team-best three blocks in the win.
UP NEXT
The Mocs will now continue their brief road spell by closing out their non-conference season in Clarksville, Tennessee, by taking on Austin Peay on Tuesday, October 26. The match, which is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT), will be available to stream on ESPN+. The Mocs will then return to Maclellan Gymnasium this Friday and Saturday to play the team's final two home matches of the year against Mercer and Furman. Friday's match against the Bears is slated for a 6 p.m. ET start time while Saturday's Senior Day versus the Paladins is set for 4 p.m. ET. Both of those matches can also be watched on ESPN+.
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