SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- Chattanooga volleyball was well-represented in the Southern Conference's postseason honors, with a total of three UTC student-athletes receiving All-Conference recognition for their efforts during the 2024 regular season, as announced the league office on Thursday.
Chard'e Vanzandt, Paige Gallentine and Kynli Kirkendoll all received accolades for the Mocs, marking the first time since 2018 that Chattanooga volleyball finished the year with three individuals earning All-Conference nods.
Vanzandt came away with First Team All-SoCon honors while Gallentine was named to the Second Team. Kirkendoll found her place on the Southern Conference's All-Freshman Team, becoming the first UTC freshman since 2018 to receive the honor.
For Gallentine, this is now the third consecutive All-SoCon Second Team honor that she's raked in over her illustrious career. Gallentine becomes just the sixth player in program history to have received at least three All-SoCon honors in her playing career. As for Vanzandt and Kirkendoll, this marks the very-first All-SoCon regular season honor for either of their careers, with Vanzandt having been an All-Tournament award-winner last season for the Mocs.
Vanzandt solidified herself as one of the SoCon's most-feared athletes over the course of the 2024 regular season, as the senior truly put the league on notice with her freak athleticism on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Her 2024 campaign currently sees her ranked seventh in the league in kills/set (3.14) after leading the team and logging a new single-season high for her career of 374 total kills for the Mocs.
Not only that, but Vanzandt was extremely efficient in her attacks, currently swinging at a .343 clip that is tied for second in the Southern Conference. If the season were to end today, that would rank as the fourth-best single-season hitting percentage in program history.
Vanzandt was equally as involved on the defensive side of the ball, finishing second on the team in blocks after recording 72 over the course of the year (0.61 blocks/set). One of Vanzandt's standout performances of the season came on November 8 at UNCG, when she recorded a 12-kill, 10-block double-double in a 3-1 UTC win. It marked the first time that a UTC player logged a double-double with blocks since 1998.
"Chard'e has consistently improved during her time with UTC," head coach Julie Torbett Thomas said. "She is very deserving of First Team All-Conference and a place in the record books. I wish I had more time with her because she clearly has a lot more left in her game."
Gallentine had a season for the ages in 2024, continuing to cement herself in the annals of Chattanooga volleyball and NCAA volleyball for years to come. The Fenton, Michigan, native once again finished as the Southern Conference's leader in total digs (624), something she has done in every season since joining the Mocs five years ago. Additionally, Gallentine led the SoCon in digs/set (5.24) serving as the anchor of UTC's defense.
Currently sitting at 2,693 career digs, Gallentine sits second on Chattanooga's all-time career digs leaderboard, trailing only Lara Newberry's 3,176 career digs, a total that sits atop the NCAA's all-time career digs leaderboard. When keeping in mind that Newberry played during the rally scoring and 30-point set eras, this makes Gallentine UTC's modern era digs leader. Additionally, Gallentine currently ranks 14th all-time on the NCAA's all-time career digs leaderboard herself, just 23 digs shy of becoming the second Moc to crack the Top 10.
Gallentine also finished her season with a team-high 33 service aces, and her career total of 133 total aces currently ranks fourth all-time in program history.
"Paige has consistently been one of the top liberos in our conference all five years she's been here," Torbett Thomas said. "I am glad we actually acknowledge the hard work of the backrow player in voting because she has been vital to the success of our program."
Kirkendoll quickly became a force upfront for the Mocs from the minute she arrived on campus earlier this year, helping to create a brick wall defensive front that UTC was able to lean heavily upon over the course of the season. Despite her freshman status, Kirkendoll would finish the year with a team-high 98 total blocks, a total that ranked fourth in the entire Southern Conference.
With her 98 blocks, Kirkendoll currently ranks third in program history for the most blocks recorded by a freshman in a season, trailing only program record-holder Natalie Reiniche's 119 from 1999 and Marcelle Baez-Carlo's 112 from 2021. Kirkendoll's 31 solo blocks this season already mark the most in a single season by a Moc, regardless of class, since Carmen Walker recorded 34 in 1999.
Much like Vanzandt, Kirkendoll served as a reliable scoring option for the Mocs throughout the season as well, as the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native ranks third on the team in kills (207) after averaging 1.83 kills/set on the year. Kirkendoll is actually tied with Vanzandt with a .343 hitting percentage of her own, which as mentioned earlier would rank fourth in program history in a single season if UTC's year were to end today.
"Kynli has been a blocking machine and has been such a joy to coach this year," Torbett Thomas said. "She has a very high ceiling and will be a dominant player in this conference."
Vanzandt, Gallentine, Kirkendoll and the rest of the Chattanooga volleyball crew will be right back in action tomorrow afternoon for the Southern Conference Tournament Quarterfinals in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The seven-seeded Mocs are set to square off against two-seeded Wofford at 4:30 p.m. ET. Fans not able to attend can follow along via ESPN+.
2024 All-Southern Conference Volleyball Teams and Awards
Player of the Year: Skye Ekes, Mercer, Sr., OH
Rayna Taylor Freshman of the Year: Allie Sweet, UNCG, OH
Libero of the Year: Laney Klika, Wofford, So.
Setter of the Year: Brooke Phillips, Mercer, Gr.
Coach of the Year: Lindsey Devine, ETSU
All-SoCon First Team
Skyler Bumpers, Mercer, Sr., MB
Skye Ekes, Mercer, Sr., OH
Brooke Phillips, Mercer, Gr., S
Allie Sweet, UNCG, Fr., OH
Gracie Lynn Butler, Samford, Sr., OH
Chard'e Vanzandt, Chattanooga, Sr., RS/MB
Sarah MacLean, Wofford, Sr., RS
All-SoCon Second Team
Ali Ruffin, The Citadel, Sr., OH
Reese Rhodes, ETSU, Gr., S
Abbey Thomas, ETSU, Sr., MB
MeMe Davis, Mercer, FR., L
Kaleigh Meritt, Samford, So., OH
Paige Gallentine, Chattanooga, Sr., L
Laney Klika, Wofford, So., L
Mary Emily Morgan, Wofford, Sr., OH
All-Freshman Team
Makayla Bays, ETSU, OH
MeMe Davis, Mercer, L
Lou Johnson, Mercer, MB
Sophia Henry, Mercer, OH
Allie Sweet, UNCG, OH
Kynli Kirkendoll, Chattanooga, MB
Bradley Brown, Wofford, MB
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