EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. --- Chattanooga volleyball ended up splitting their two matches on the opening day of play at the SIUE Cougar Classic, with UTC falling to SIUE earlier in the day before bouncing back with a win over Bellarmine in the afternoon.
The Mocs (7-3) struggled to find their footing against SIUE to open their tournament weekend, with the Cougars blocking their way to a 3-1 result over UTC. Chattanooga responded well later in the day, however, with the Mocs cruising past Bellarmine 3-1 behind efficient offensive play.
"I thought we just didn't play our style of volleyball in the first match," head coach Julie Torbett Thomas said. "SIUE took advantage of it and made us pay."
"Luckily, we have feisty players that can bounce back. We were highly efficient offensively and went on big scoring runs. We let down a little in the third set which pushed the match to a fourth set, however we closed out decisively."
A bright start to the first match of the day, the Mocs set the tone early by jumping to a 1-0 lead against the Cougars. While going back and forth in the contest, the next three sets were ultimately decided by an impressive underdog attitude from SIUE.
After dropping set two to the Cougars 29-27, the Mocs failed to find a response to the SIUE block as the Cougars went on to claim 25-18 and 25-23 set wins in the third and fourth frames, sealing the match in favor of Southern Illinois – Edwardsville.
Disappointing for the Mocs, there were heroes with efforts worth praising. Sydney Jackwin had a stellar showing with a double-double with 18 kills and 20 digs, leading the team in each stat. Not only this, but she added a team-high two aces.
When the tides started to turn in favor of the Cougars, Marcelle Baez-Carlo came in late offering seven kills for the Mocs on a blistering .455 hitting percentage. Also offering a stout defensive effort, Paige Gallentine added to her resume with another double-digit dig performance of 18; keeping her streak of reaching 10+ digs in every match this season.
The Mocs were out for blood in their second match of the day following a disappointing result against SIUE. Straight off the rip against Bellarmine, you could sense that UTC was not going to finish their day 0-2.
UTC opened its match against the Knights with a near-flawless first set, taking the frame 25-11. The Mocs would finish the first set hitting .400 as a team, along with stonewalling the Bellarmine offense.
Chattanooga's success continued right into the second, claiming a 25-17 set win to put the Mocs up 2-0. While Bellarmine responded in the third with a 25-16 win of their own, it seemed to be their last gasp against a determined UTC crew.
The Mocs eventually slammed the door shut on the Knights in the fourth set, cruising to another 25-17 set win to clinch the match.
Once again, Sydney Jackwin dazzled for UTC as the junior pin finished with yet another double-double on the day, recording 15 kills and 12 digs. Her offense, paired with Chard'e Vanzandt's 14 kills, proved fatal to Bellarmine.
Setter Elaine Redman also wrapped up the match with a double-double for the Mocs, with Redman going for 36 assists and 13 digs. The duo of Paige Gallentine and Caiti Barthel rounded out the double-digit dig performances for UTC on the night, with Gallentine pacing the Mocs with 25 and Barthel notching 12 of her own.
UP NEXT
The Mocs will now wrap up their weekend at the SIUE Cougar Classic on Saturday with a match against Murray State. That match's start time is set for 12 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN+ with live stats also being available for fans.
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