MACON, Ga. (September 26, 2025)— The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team (7-6, 1-0 SoCon) triumphed over Mercer (4-11, 0-2 SoCon) with a straight-set 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-22) victory at Hawkins Arena on Friday evening during the team's Southern Conference opener.
 
Chattanooga improves to 7-6 overall record and is 1-0 in Southern Conference play after tonight's win. Mercer stands at 4-11 overall and 0-2 in Southern Conference competition.
 
Match Notables
- The win marked Chattanooga's first road victory in a SoCon-opening match since 2008 and just its fifth all-time.
- Senior OH Sydney Jackwin surpassed 1,000 career points during Friday's match at Mercer. Jackwin entered the night with 999.0 for her collegiate career.
- Junior L Caiti Barthel surpassed 600 career digs during Friday's match at Mercer. Barthel entered the night with 597 over her two-plus seasons at UTC.
- Chattanooga and Mercer met for the 42nd time on Friday. Mercer now leads the series 22-20 after UTC's win.
 
Quotable – HC Julie Torbett Thomas
"We're excited to get the first win of the conference on the road against the defending regular season champions. We really played well as a team tonight and we received amazing contributions from not only our starters, but our bench as well."
 
Match Flow - Recap
The first set began with Chattanooga's starters, including Bailey Burgess and Sydney Jackwin, facing Mercer. Chattanooga quickly responded to an early two-point deficit with kills from Jackwin, leveling the score at 2-2. Despite some service errors, Chattanooga remained competitive, managing to tie the score at various points through the set.
 
Midway through, Mercer gained momentum, extending their lead to 10-4. However, UTC effectively countered with a series of kills, including a key block by Mallory Merz that started a comeback. Jackwin continued to be pivotal, contributing multiple kills that helped Chattanooga erase the deficit and eventually tie the score at 18-18.
 
Chattanooga closed the set with a decisive push, featuring back-to-back service aces by Jackwin that brought them ahead. The set concluded with a kill by Burgess, securing a 26-24 victory for UTC to open the match with a lead.
 
Chattanooga initiated a strong comeback in the second set, overcoming an early deficit against Mercer. After trailing 0-5, UTC began to find their stride with a series of key plays, including a kill by Elena Vukmanov to break the streak. The team continued to close the gap with contributions from Jackwin and Ashley Reynolds, eventually leveling the score at 10-10 following a service ace from Jackwin.
 
As the set progressed, Chattanooga's momentum continued to build, with Kynli Kirkendoll and Gracie Rose effectively contributing to the attack. Their efforts, combined with defensive blocks from Laila N'Diaye and Burgess, allowed the Mocs to pull ahead. The set closed with Chattanooga securing a 25-20 victory, capped by a decisive kill from Rose, giving the visiting team an edge as the match advanced.
 
Chattanooga began the third set by capitalizing on Mercer's service error to gain an early lead. Kendyl MacAskill contributed to the visitor's momentum with a kill set up by Reynolds, which helped UTC extend their advantage to 5-1. A solid block by Chiara Napoli and Kirkendoll further increased the margin.
 
Midway through the set, Chattanooga continued to apply pressure with blocks from Jackwin and N'Diaye, pushing the score to 14-8. Vukmanov's ace added to the lead, while Napoli's offensive efforts kept the score in Chattanooga's favor despite Mercer's attempts to close the gap.
 
In the closing stages, UTC maintained their edge with pivotal kills from Rose and Jackwin. MacAskill sealed the set with a final kill, ensuring a 25-22 victory for Chattanooga.
 
Chattanooga Top Performers
Sydney Jackwin   
- 11 kills; 15.0 points; 3 service aces; 8 digs 
 
Laila N'Diaye 
6 block assists; 5.0 points; 2 kills on a .667 hitting percentage 
 
Kynli Kirkendoll 
- 5 total blocks (1 solo, 4 assists); 9.0 points; 6 kills
 
Up Next
Chattanooga heads to Johnson City to take on in-state rival ETSU (7-5, 1-0 SoCon) tomorrow afternoon inside Brooks Gym. First serve is slated for Noon ET. Live stats are available and can be found at GoMocs.com on the schedule page. 

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