CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - With the start of the regular season just a few months away now, Chattanooga Volleyball Head Coach Julie Torbett Thomas has announced her side's 2026 schedule. The Blue and Gold are scheduled to play 30 matches, 18 of which are SoCon matches, with the other 12 being nonconference to start the season. 

There are 12 home matches on the 2026 schedule for Chattanooga. Admission to all home matches are free for the general public. 

Mocs fans can get their first look at the team on Aug. 12 and Aug. 18 for a pair of exhibition matches at home. On the 12th, UTC takes on Lindsey Wilson before playing its Blue-Gold Scrimmage on the 18th. Chattanooga finishes its preseason on Aug. 22 on the road at MTSU. 

The Mocs start the regular season at home Aug. 28-29, as it competes in the annual Chattanooga Classic in Maclellan Gym. UTC takes on Tennessee State and Valparaiso on that Friday, before closing the weekend off against UAB. These three matches are Chattanooga's lone home matches in nonconference play.

The next three weekends, Chattanooga hits the road for invitationals at North Alabama, Queens (N.C.), and Radford. The other schools that the Mocs will take on during these invitationals include UT Martin, Jackson State, Presbyterian, Buffalo, Bellarmine, and Norfolk State. 

"We are happy with the overall 2026 schedule. Our nonconference schedule will provide us with matches that challenge us, while also giving us opportunities to evaluate our new players alongside a talented returning group," Torbett Thomas said. "We are staying relatively close to home this season, but we are excited to compete against programs like Valparaiso University and University at Buffalo, two teams outside our region with strong volleyball traditions."

Chattanooga's matches with Queens (N.C.) and Buffalo will be the first-ever meetings when they are played. In UTC's 12-match nonconference slate, it takes on schools from seven different conferences, including three teams from the Atlantic Sun. 

SoCon play begins the weekend of September 25-26 as the Mocs take on defending SoCon Tournament Champions, Wofford, at home on both days. This begins a new scheduling format for the SoCon with teams playing two-match series over consecutive days. Chattanooga has four home series and four away series, then for the SoCon's newest team, Tennessee Tech, it will play a home-and-home series during the midweek. 

"There will certainly be pros and cons to the new schedule, but ultimately, we believe it will help reduce wear and tear on our student-athletes throughout the season," Torbett Thomas said.

Following the Wofford series, Chattanooga has three consecutive away matches, playing at Furman Oct. 1-2, which is a Thursday and Friday, before the first midweek battle against Tennessee Tech on Oct. 6. UTC is then home for back-to-back weekends with two more SoCon showdowns versus ETSU on Oct. 9-10 and against Western Carolina Oct. 16-17. 

Next on the scheudule for UTC is UNCG on the road Oct. 23-24 as it goes into the second half of SoCon play. Moving to the end of October, Chattanooga starts off the week with a Tuesday night home match against Tennessee Tech on Oct. 27 before visiting Samford for two matches across Halloween weekend Oct. 30-31. 

Chattanooga's final home matches are Nov. 6-7 against Mercer, which coincides with Homecoming weekend on campus. On that Saturday, UTC plays at 6 p.m. as fans will have a chance to catch both the Mocs' Football and Volleyball teams on the same day. The Volleyball team plans to hold several events for alumni and fans throughout the weekend. 

"We are also excited to be playing at home for Homecoming this year, where we will celebrate Senior Night, host a Mocs Alumni Reunion, and hold our first Mocs Legends and Leaders Auction. It will be a tremendous way to cap off the season," Torbett Thomas said. 

Before the start of the postseason, Chattanooga heads south to take on The Citadel Nov. 13-14, wrapping up SoCon play. Moving to the SoCon Tournament, it is being held in Asheville, North Carolina for the second year in a row at the Harrah's Cherokee Center. This year's tournament is scheduled for Nov. 18-22. 

2026 Schedule

August 12	Lindsey Wilson (Scrimmage)	Chattanooga, Tenn.	5 PM
August 18	Blue-Gold (Scrimmage)	Chattanooga, Tenn.	5 PM
August 22	at MTSU (Scrimmage)	Murfreesboro, Tenn.	2 PM
August 28	Tennessee State	Chattanooga, Tenn.	3 PM
August 28	Valparaiso	Chattanooga, Tenn.	6 PM
August 29	UAB	Chattanooga, Tenn.	6 PM
September 4	UT Martin	Florence, Ala.	10 AM
September 4	at North Alabama	Florence, Ala.	7 PM
September 5	Jackson State	Florence, Ala.	12 PM
September 11	at Queens (N.C.)	Charlotte, N.C.	10 AM
September 11	Presbyterian	Charlotte, N.C.	5 PM
September 12	Buffalo	Charlotte, N.C.	11:30 AM
September 18	at Radford	Radford, Va.	1 PM
September 18	Bellarmine	Radford, Va.	4 PM
September 19	Norfolk State	Radford, Va.	1 PM
September 25	Wofford*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	6 PM
September 26	Wofford*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	4 PM
October 1	at Furman*	Greenville, S.C.	6 PM
October 2	at Furman*	Greenville, S.C.	6 PM
October 6	at Tennessee Tech*	Cookeville, Tenn.	6 PM
October 9	ETSU*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	6 PM
October 10	ETSU*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	12 PM
October 16	Western Carolina*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	6 PM
October 17	Western Carolina*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	4 PM
October 23	at UNCG*	Greensboro, N.C	6 PM
October 24	at UNCG*	Greensboro, N.C.	3 PM
October 27	Tennessee Tech*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	6 PM
October 30	at Samford*	Birmingham, Ala.	6:30 PM
October 31	at Samford*	Birmingham, Ala.	7 PM
November 6	Mercer*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	6 PM
November 7	Mercer*	Chattanooga, Tenn.	6 PM
November 13	at The Citadel*	Charleston, S.C.	6 PM
November 14	at The Citadel	Charleston, S.C.	2 PM
November 18-22	SoCon Tournament	Asheville, N.C.	TBD

* = SoCon Matches
Bold = Home Matches

FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA VOLLEYBALL
Follow @GoMocsVB on X and @GoMocsVolleyball on Instagram for the most up-to-date information and news regarding Chattanooga volleyball.