CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. --- Chattanooga volleyball wrapped up its non-conference schedule on Tuesday evening with a 3-1 victory over Austin Peay in Clarksville.
A slow start to the match saw the Mocs down 1-0 early to the Governors, but a quick response by UTC saw the Mocs string together three consecutive set wins enroute to a 3-1 road victory for Chattanooga. Now possessing a record of 14-10 on the year, the Mocs will return to Maclellan Gymnasium this weekend having won five of their last six matches.
"It was a tough start but if you take the first set out, we had a pretty good offensive match," head coach Julie Torbett Thomas said. "I was happy to come out of there with a win."
The Mocs were served a wake-up call right off the rip as the Governors quickly built up a 5-1 lead to open the match with three of APSU's five points coming in the form of service aces. The pressure continued to mount with Austin Peay forming a lead as large as six points in the frame.
That six-point lead would be maintained for the remainder of the set, as the Govs ultimately grabbed a 25-19 win in the opening frame to put the Mocs down early in the night. Austin Peay wrapped up the opening set having tallied four service aces as a team on the Mocs.
Following a tough result to open the match, Chattanooga came out determined to respond to the strong start by the Governors. This included the Mocs opening the second set with an 11-5 start, forcing numerous errors out of the APSU offense. While the Govs were able to crawl out of their hole momentarily, UTC slammed the door shut by taking the frame 25-23 to level out the score at 1-1.
The Mocs carried their momentum right into the third set, getting off to yet another hot start by starting on a 6-2 scoring run. Again, Austin Peay was able to stay within arm's reach of the Mocs but was never able to overcome a well-balanced team effort by the Mocs. In what was ultimately a wire-to-wire set win for UTC where the Mocs never trailed in the frame, Chattanooga took the third frame 25-21 to put the Mocs one set away from taking home the win.
While the Governors were able to put together a solid start to the fourth set by jumping out to an early 5-2 lead, the Mocs would stomp their foot on the gas by ripping off what ended up being an 11-5 run that saw UTC up 13-9 near the midway point of the set. One last gasp by Austin Peay was too little, too late by the Govs as Chattanooga clinched the fourth set by a score of 25-21, sealing the 3-1 match victory for the Mocs on the road.
A double-double by Sydney Jackwin proved pivotal for UTC's success on Tuesday night, with the junior wrapping up her evening with a team-high 15 kills paired with 11 digs. Breanah Rives also notched double-digit kills for the Mocs, putting up 11.
Elaine Redman also finished her match with a double-double for the Mocs as the Chattanooga native capped off the night with a 42-assist, 15-dig performance. Redman added four kills and three blocks to her stat line. She finished tied with Kynli Kirkendoll and Erin Wyatt for the team lead in blocks.
Paige Gallentine's tremendous effort on the defensive side of the ball helped propel Chattanooga forward throughout the match, with Gallentine recording a team-best 25 digs in the win. She would also finish tied with Chard'e Vanzandt for a team-leading two aces.
UP NEXT
The Mocs now return to the Scenic City this weekend for the team's final two home matches of the 2024 regular season. UTC starts its weekend off on Friday, November 1 with the Mocs welcoming first-place Mercer to Maclellan Gymnasium at 6 p.m. ET that evening. The Mocs will then go on to host Furman at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 2 in the team's Senior Day match and home finale. Both of this weekend's matches will be available to stream via ESPN+ and will also be free to attend for the public.
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