Volleyball Loses First Match of Dig Pink Weekend to ETSU

Friday, October 9

Chattanooga, Tenn.

6:00 p.m.

Chattanooga

5-13,0-6SoCon

ETSU

5-12,3-3SoCon

Team	1	2	3	Final F
ETSU	25	25	25	3
Chattanooga	22	16	22	0

Kynli Kirkendoll and her teammates holding up their "I Fight For" signs pre match

Photo by: Ray Soldano

10/9/2026 8:37:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

The Bucs took care of the Mocs in three sets

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Chattanooga and ETSU squared off for the first of two matches for Dig Pink Weekend in the Mac. The Bucs spoiled the party though, winning 3-0 in front of a packed crowd of Mocs fans.

With the loss, Chattanooga drops to 0-6 in league play while ETSU is back to .500 at 3-3 and winners of its last three matches.

Final Score
Chattanooga 0, ETSU 3 (22-25, 16-25, 22-25)

Records
Chattanooga (5-13, 0-6 SoCon)
ETSU (5-12, 3-3 SoCon)

Series Notes
Chattanooga moves to 44-53 all-time against ETSU and 22-20 at home against the Bucs… ETSU has won four in a row in the series… Tonight was the 97th all-time meeting between the Mocs and the Bucs.

How it Happened
The two teams were feeling each other out in the first set as the score was tight at 10-9, ETSU, after a kill from Gracie Rose put UTC down one point. An ETSU attack error tied the set not long afterwards at 17. The Bucs responded with three straight points with the last two points of the run being service aces. Chattanooga got back within one point at 22-21, however, ETSU scored three of the final four points to win 25-22 and go up 1-0.

ETSU raced out to an 8-2 lead to start the second set. With the early deficit, UTC had to fight back getting as close as four points at 15-11 after a 5-0 run fueled on by five ETSU errors. The Bucs though returned to form, controlling the remainder of the set to eventually win 25-16 and take a 2-0 lead. The Bucs hit .333 as a team during the set.

The Bucs came out hot once again in the third set, this time moving ahead 10-2. Their lead reached as many as 10 points at 13-3 off a service, seeming to put Chattanooga in the dust. However, the Mocs slowly hung around, punching away at the ETSU lead. Later in the set, a 4-0 run capped off by a Gracie Rose kill put Chattanooga within four points at 23-19. ETSU scored the next point before UTC held off three match points to put the score at 24-22. That being said, an ETSU kill ended things at 25-22 and gave the Bucs the sweep.

Individual and Team Stats

Elena Vukmanov was the lone Chattanooga player in double figures in kills with 10 to go along with seven digs.
Caiti Barthel led the defensive charge with 17 digs as well as five assists offensively.
Ashley Reynolds posted a team-high 18 assists. She also had six digs.
Glass was Chattanooga's leading blocker with four on the night.
Makayla Bays for ETSU was the winning side's top performer with 16 kills and seven digs.
ETSU held a .224 hitting percentage while Chattanooga hit .143 for the night.
ETSU had a 42-34 advantage in kills.
Both teams accounted for 48 digs.

Postgame Quotes
Julie Torbett Thomas Head Coach
On tonight's performance

"I sound like a broken record, but the serve and pass game is so important in volleyball, and we've not been winning that element of the game. And Mikayla Bays was the player of the year last year, so, you know, she's a great player. We need to be better at isolating and shutting down good players. Everyone got to play tonight, which is a rarity. So it makes my job a little bit easier for tomorrow on what the lineup will be. We just have to fight back."

On the support tonight from the fans

"The student support was great. I thought all the fans in the crowd were in it at the beginning which was nice to have."

Up Next: Chattanooga and ETSU play again tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. The match will not be streamed due to Chattanooga's home football game. Fans can keep up with live stats using this link.

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