CHATTANOOGA --- Chattanooga indoor volleyball inches ever closer to its season-opening date with Southern Illinois on August 30, and with that comes the excitement of introducing a largely new position group to Mocs Nation.
Today's edition of our preseason preview series highlights UTC's pin hitters, a group in which seven of whom are set to play in their first season with the Mocs. While having so many new people in a position group could seem daunting at first, it could also be seen as an unbelievable advantage in terms of depth and variety for Chattanooga's offense.
"We've been a little shallow on the pins ever since I've gotten here," head coach Julie Torbett Thomas said. "If our go-to pin had ever gotten injured or needed to be replaced, I feel like we've had a hard time doing so in the past. This year we have a lot of depth and talent in that position, and that obviously gets me really excited since they're really the cleanup position in our system."
"Having that versatility and different types of players; we have a lefty, we have taller players, smaller players, we really have a wide variety when it comes to style of play. That's going to be really exciting."
The Mocs finished the year ranked second in the Southern Conference in kills (1,573) and third in kills/set (12.89) in 2023. This was also paired with a team hitting percentage of .216 on the year, which stands as the third-best single season attack percentage by a UTC team in program history.
A featured piece in UTC's outside and right-side hitter group is returning senior Chard'e Vanzandt, who serves as more of a hybrid, Swiss army knife across the Mocs' front row whether it's at OH, RS or MB. The Houston, Texas, native possesses a vertical leap that one truly must see to believe, paired with a heavy arm and strong defensive presence in the middle block.
"Char (Chard'e Vanzandt) is really one of those players that is a middle but can slide over to that right side or outside position if and when we need her to," Torbett Thomas added. "To be able to have a senior leader like her on this team that can really enforce our standards and sell our vision as a coaching staff, that's going to help massively with a roster of 21 girls which is the biggest roster I've ever had at the Division I level."
The proof of Vanzandt's pedigree is in her stats from a season ago, her first year with the Mocs, where she finished as the team leader and fifth in the Southern Conference in blocks (98) alongside notching 302 kills as UTC's No. 3 scoring option. The JUCO product turned Division I student-athlete is coming off a video game-like end to her junior campaign, having been named to the 2023 SoCon All-Tournament Team after helping guide the seventh seeded Mocs to the SoCon Tournament Semifinals.
While Vanzandt isn't the only returning pin from the 2023 roster, with redshirt freshman Jordyn Butler joining her from last year's squad, Coach Torbett Thomas has had to rebuild her pin group after having a total of four outsides graduate from last year's team. This leaves the Mocs with 424 of the team's 1,573 kills from the 2023 season, returning only 27 percent of the team's scoring from last year.
The Mocs needed a major rehaul on the pins, and the Mocs coaching staff got straight to work with the team bringing in seven new faces to the pins group for 2024 with four coming from the transfer portal and the other three out of high school.
Highlighting the transfers for the Mocs are the tandem of Erin Wyatt and Sydney Jackwin, who are each coming off seasons in which they had led their respective teams in total kills for 2023 (Wyatt had 208 kills for Georgia State, Jackwin had 189 for Louisiana Tech). The Mocs were also able to bring in Missouri State standout and rising sophomore Breanah Rives to this year's squad, as Rives saw her rookie year at the collegiate level end with her being named to the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team.
The Mocs also have a plethora of freshmen joining the team, including redshirt freshman Doga Ocal who is transferring into the Scenic City from UCF of the Big 12 Conference. Ocal is accompanied by true freshmen Gracie Rose, Elena Vukmanov and Destiny Wiggins, each of whom brings an added depth piece to the UTC pins group.
While the group is almost entirely made up of new faces this season, senior Chard'e Vanzandt believes that having this many newcomers can also create major issues for whatever team is lining up opposite to the Mocs. If you ask Vanzandt, this group is ready to turn some heads come August 30.
We sat down with Vanzandt as she helped break down the Mocs' deep lineup of pin hitters heading into the fall season.
What's it like for you to be taking on more of a senior leadership role on this team heading into the 2024 season?
Vanzandt: "I'm excited to take on that role going into my last year. I've played volleyball for so many years, but this season is just more about leaving a legacy. I want to pour into my younger teammates and leave my mark on this program. If that means helping them out in practice, talking to them or coaching them up during a game; honestly just building up their confidence, that's my main goal. Obviously winning a championship goes right with that too."
What has the transition been like for you starting off grinding it out at the JUCO level and now playing at the Division I level here at Chattanooga?
Vanzandt: "For me it just created this underdog mentality in a way. I pretty much started from the lowest level and then worked my way up, and it just helped me realize that I've always had it in me. Now being at this level, it's once again very humbling for me since I'm a very confident player but playing against such a high level of competition. Being able to show off my talent at this level just means everything to me."
You have a couple of teammates this year that you've played with at other schools. Talk about what part you played in helping recruit them out of the portal to come to the Scenic City.
Vanzandt: "Well when I first heard that Ashley (Taylor) was in the portal, I reached out to her and pretty much said 'hey we really need you to come here'. Her energy is through the roof, and we really need that on the court. Plus, we play really well together with me on the pin and her in the middle, so I think it could be pretty hard to stop us."
How have the pins looked as a whole as practices start to ramp up for the team?
Vanzandt: "I honestly don't even know how to best describe our pins. We're all really big and have a lot of shots in our bag, but I think the biggest thing for our pins is our block. Just playing in open gym and seeing everyone on the court, I've noticed that you really have to try to hit it over or around our block. We have a solid block which I think is going to be the key to our success this year."
After ending the 2023 season on such a high personal note with being named to the SoCon All-Tournament Team, how are you planning on translating that success over to the start of the 2024 season?
Vanzandt: "I want to hit the ground running. I'm not trying to start off shaky or quiet, I want to come out loud and making noise in the SoCon. That's my goal every match, every year."
How do you get such an impressive vertical?
Vanzandt: "Calf raises. A lot of calf raises and putting in work in the weight room, so I keep the strength in my legs and I'm able to keep jumping like that. That plus treatment, since it does come with shin splints. Genes help too."
How would you say you've changed as a person and player over your collegiate playing career?
Vanzandt: "I've evolved so much and my mindset towards the game has changed. I'm able to score in ways that I never thought I could. Coming into college I was just a middle but then my coach put me out on the pin, and I always then wondered what it would've been like if I went back to the middle. Then I come to Chattanooga and Coach T (Torbett Thomas) moved me back in the middle and I was just extremely happy. I wish I would've been able to play that a long time ago, but what better time than now? I'm gonna capitalize on it."
What are some of the biggest strengths that this year's team has heading into the new season?
Vanzandt: "Our relationship. I think we've prioritized that a lot this summer. Obviously last year we were very close, but now that we have an older plus a younger group of girls with so many new faces, it's more so about big sister-little sister. We all feed off of each other and put more into each other more and more. That plus we just have the perfect group of skillsets on this team that just makes us an exciting team to watch."
Outside of gunning for SoCon titles this year, do you have any personal goals that you're aiming to accomplish in your last year of collegiate volleyball?
Vanzandt: "I want to be All-SoCon and SoCon MVP. I'd love to be able to add some accolades before I leave here, maybe some records too."
2024 Outside Hitter/Right Side Hitter Group
Letterwinners Returning/Lost (2/4): Chard'e Vanzandt, Jordyn Butler | Gylian Finch, Morgan Romano, Halle Olson, Chloe Bryan
Freshman Additions (3): Gracie Rose (Norcross, Ga.), Elena Vukmanov (Subotica, Serbia), Destiny Wiggins (Plymouth, Minn.)
Transfer Portal Additions (4): Erin Wyatt (Georgia State), Breanah Rives (Missouri State), Sydney Jackwin (Louisiana Tech), Doga Ocal (UCF)
NOTABLES
- The Mocs ended 2023 with 1,573 total kills (12.9 kills/set), which ranked second in the Southern Conference in terms of total kills and third in terms of kills/set.
- UTC's offense finished the 2023 season with a .216 attack percentage as a team. This ranks as the third-best single season attack percentage in program history.
- A total of three Mocs ended the 2023 season with over 300 kills: Morgan Romano (453), Gylian Finch (395) and Chard'e Vanzandt (302). It marked the first time since 2015 that multiple Mocs players finished the year above the 300-kill mark.
- Chattanooga returns only 27 percent of its kill output from a season ago, having lost a pair of offensive all stars in Romano and Finch due to graduation.
- A hybrid pin/middle, Chard'e Vanzandt provided much more than just an offensive attack for Chattanooga last season as the Houston, Texas, native ultimately finished as the team-leader in blocks after logging a total of 98 (25 solo; 73 assists) on the year.
- Vanzandt concluded the 2023 season by being named to the Southern Conference All-Tournament team, becoming the second Moc in the last seven seasons to be selected to the SoCon's All-Tournament lineup (last was Natalie Tyson in 2022).
- Of the four incoming transfer additions to this year's pins, two of them led their previous team's leader in kills for the 2023 season: Erin Wyatt at Georgia State (208) and Sydney Jackwin at Louisiana Tech (189).
- Rising sophomore Breanah Rives had a breakout freshman campaign with Missouri State in 2023, having earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team for her efforts.
- Redshirt-freshman Doga Ocal, who transferred to the Mocs from UCF, has been a frequent member of the Turkish National Team on the beach volleyball side of things, having competed in numerous high-profile tournaments such as the 2022 U19 Beach Volleyball World Championships as well as the 2020 U20 Beach Volleyball European Championships.
- Incoming freshman Gracie Rose joins the Mocs following a dominant prep career at Greater Atlanta Christian School. After claiming a pair of Georgia 5A state titles, Rose punctuated her high school career by being named an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention her senior season.
- Rose's 573 kills as a senior not only set a new single-season record for Greater Atlanta Christian, one of her numerous records set at GAC, but it ultimately ranked third in the entire state of Georgia.
SEASON-OPENING TOURNEY IN HUNTSVILLE
Chattanooga volleyball's regular season is set to get underway August 30-September 1 with the Mocs traveling to Huntsville, Alabama, for the Betty K. White Invitational (hosted by Alabama A&M). The Mocs will open their regular season at 7 p.m. ET on August 30 by taking on Southern Illinois, before playing in a pair of neutral site contests against Oral Roberts and Idaho on August 31. UTC closes out its opening weekend of action on Sunday, September 1 by battling with tournament host Alabama A&M at 1 p.m. ET.
THE MOCS AT HOME
Fans will be able to get their first taste of 2024 Chattanooga volleyball action on August 22 with the playing of the team's annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage, set to start at 5 p.m. ET in Maclellan Gymnasium. August 24 will provide another opportunity for fans to catch some preseason action for UTC, as the Mocs are set to host Alabama Huntsville at Maclellan for an exhibition match, time to be announced. The Mocs will then host the team's annual Chattanooga Classic tournament September 6-7 at the Mac with fans having three chances to catch the Mocs in their home-opening weekend. All matches this season are free and open to the public.
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.
