The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team travels to Lawrence, Kan., the hometown of senior right side Jessica Scott, for the Jayhawk Classic beginning Friday. The Lady Mocs begin with a doubleheader against Arkansas at 11 a.m. followed by Akron at 6 p.m., while finishing up against host Kansas on Saturday at 2 p.m. Live stats can be found through the tournament central link at the top of the page and on GoMocs.com.
This is the fourth season with Chattanooga for Scott, who is expected to graduate in May with civil engineering degree. The Lawrence, Kan., native has been a consistent player on the right side for the Lady Mocs entering the tournament with 332 kills and 340 digs over her career.
“I feel that I have developed into the best player that I am going to be,” said Scott “Obviously, it is nice to go back and see all my family and friends.”
After practicing with the team as a freshman, she was one of four players to posted at least 200 kills and digs, while maintaining a 1.94 kills per set average in the following season.
“A few of my friends are currently on the Kansas team,” said Scott. “Some of them I competed with in club and high school, so it is going to be fun to play against them again.”
Prior to coming to Chattanooga, Scott attended high school at Lawrence Free State.
The 2010 Volleyball Media Guide is available to purchase for $15 plus shipping through the link above. Team and individual player profiles along with an in depth history and records section can be found throughout the guide, which also can be viewed via the link at the top of the page.
After heading to Jacksonville, Fla., next weekend, the Lady Mocs return to Maclellan Gym to host the Country Inns & Suites Invitational from Sept. 17-18. Chattanooga welcomes Belmont, James Madison and UCF to the Scenic City. The first serve on Friday night against the Bruins begins at 7:30 p.m., while the Lady Mocs play the Knights and Dukes the following day at 11:30 a.m.
GAME #1 | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 | 11 A.M.
CHATTANOOGA (0-3, 0-0 SoCon) VS. ARKANSAS (4-0, 0-0 SEC)
HOREJISI FAMILY ATHLETICS CENTER | LAWRENCE, KAN.
UTC all-time vs. Arkansas: 0-0
Series History: First meeting.
Scouting Report: The Razorbacks swept their season opening tournament against UMKC, Grambling State and Samford at the Arkansas Invitational. Arkansas fought back for a five-set victory at Oral Roberts on Tuesday night. Junior outside hitter Kelli Stipanovich was the MVP of the invitational posting a .532 hitting percentage and has totaled 39 kills. Leading the team in that department is sophomore Jasmine Norton with 55. Running the offense is sophomore setter Cassie Clarke registering 95 assists, while defensively the Razorbacks were led by freshman libero Brooke Fournier, who dug up 3.80 attacks. Head coach Robert Pulliza returns four starters, while welcoming seven newcomers.
GAME #2 | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 | 6 P.M.
CHATTANOOGA (0-3, 0-0 SoCon) VS. AKRON (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
HOREJISI FAMILY ATHLETICS CENTER | LAWRENCE, KAN.
UTC all-time vs. Akron: 0-0
Series History: First meeting.
Scouting Report: The Zips went 2-1 to open the season at the West Virginia Classic defeating Youngstown State and Howard, while falling to the hosts. Sophomore libero Chelsea Harvey was named the MAC East Division Player of the Week for compiling 56 digs, a 6.22 digs per set average. Pacing the offense was junior outside hitter Courtney Jarvies with 4.22 kills per set followed by freshman Alex Cockling at 3.00. Distributing the ball to the hitters was sophomore setter Morgan Kuhn, who recorded 98 assists and seven service aces on the opening weekend. Head coach Ron Arenz is entering his fourth season guiding the Zips and brought in four freshman this season.
GAME #3 | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 | 2 P.M.
CHATTANOOGA (0-3, 0-0 SoCon) AT KANSAS (4-0, 0-0 BIG 12)
HOREJISI ATHLETICS CENTER | LAWRENCE, KAN.
UTC all-time vs. Kansas: 0-0
Series History: First meeting.
Scouting Report: The Jayhawks swept through the Bluejay Invitational at Creighton against Lipscomb, San Francisco and the hosts. The Jayhawks defeated UMKC in straight-sets to open the home schedule Tuesday night. Senior outside hitter Karina Garlington took MVP honors to open the season recording 4.00 kills per set, while attacking .290 attack percentage. The other outside junior Allison Mayfield contributed an all-around performance with 3.73 kills per set and 2.91 digs per set. Defensively, Caroline Jarmoc has registered 20 blocks, while freshman Brianne Riley and senior Melissa Manda have split time at libero. Head coach Ray Bechard is in his 13th season and brings in five newcomers.
SCOTT HEAD HOME
The Lady Mocs travel to Lawrence, Kan., the hometown of senior right side Jessica Scott to play in the Jayhawk Classic. Scott has played with and against many of the the current Kansas players. In her career, the senior right side has compiled 332 kills and 340 digs.
MATCHING UP FOR THE FIRST TIME
As the Lady Mocs travel to Lawrence, Kan., they will be going up against some new faces. In the 27-year history of the program, Chattanooga has not faced its three competitors, Arkansas, Akron and Kansas, on the volleyball court. These are three of the six first time matchups on the UTC schedule this season, which also includes Savannah State, North Florida and Illinois-Chicago.
PASSMORE NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
Sophomore libero Paula Passmore registered 54 digs en route to all-tournament honors at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic. Chattanooga was taken out in straight sets in each match as the libero recorded an impressive 6.00 digs per set average. The Merritt Island, Fla., native was also named all-tournament following a 67-dig performance at the 2009 Country Inns & Suites Invitational in Chattanooga. It included 33 digs in a three-set loss to Austin Peay.
LEADER OF THE PACK
Following the Comcast Lady Vol Classic, senior middle blocker Courtney Barnes leads the team in kills (17), kills per set (1.89), attack percentage (.289) and total blocks (0.67). She has been the most consistent player on the squad over the past three seasons and currently ranks third in hitting percentage all-time with the Lady Mocs at .298.
FRESHMAN CONTRIBUTIONS
The Lady Mocs are young with 11 underclassmen on the roster. Freshman Jennifer Kuroski posted 15 kills and 13 digs in the season opening tournament. She registered seven kills and six digs against Virginia Tech in her collegiate debut. Also, freshmen outside hitter Andrea Johnson record a dig and setter Tess Kosycarz had four assists and three digs to begin the campaign.
GAINING EXPERIENCE
Chattanooga has the toughest non-conference schedule in the Southern Conference out of the gate with opening at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic and dropping matches to Virginia Tech, No. 19 Tennessee and Xavier. Next, the Lady Mocs battle Arkansas, Akron and Kansas at the Jayhawk Classic. Head coach Lisa Rhodes believes that her team has an opportunity to learn by overcoming obstacles and come together as they head into conference play.
BARNES BRINGS CONSISTENCY AND EXPERIENCE
Senior middle blocker Courtney Barnes has been a consistent performer over her career posting a .298 overall hitting percentage. She paced the squad in kills a year ago with 281.
CHASTAIN'S THE SETTER
Senior setter Bailee Chastain has been a joy to coach for head coach Lisa Rhodes, but the Chattanooga, Tenn., native knew that this preseason camp may be the toughest. Rhodes brought in freshman Tess Kosycarz to push Chastain. She has shown her courtship, knowledge of the offense and encouragement for the young outside hitters, while earning the starting job. With 1,227 career assists, Chastain ranks 10th all-time at UTC. As a sophomore, she filled a reserve hitter role and has shown her versatility.
LIBERO PASSMORE LOOKS FOR MORE
Following in the footsteps of a legend can be difficult, freshman Paula Passmore did an effective job last season in replacing Lara Newberry, the NCAA single-season (942) and career digs (3,176) leader. Now, Passmore has the chance to learn from a legend as Newberry is a student assistant coach working primarily on the defensive aspects of the game. Passmore was tabbed to the SoCon All-Freshman Team last season pacing the league with 542 digs. It was the fifth-straight year that the Chattanooga libero led the league in digs.
CHATTANOOGA RETURNS FIVE
After a long conference season with four wins, the Lady Mocs are ready to get back on the court with four starters and sophomore libero Paula Passmore coming back. Seniors middle blocker Courtney Barnes, right side Jessica Scott and setter Bailee Chastain along with junior middle blocker Ellie Kuhn and sophomore Heather Parman.
A YEAR WISER FOR FIVE
Sophomores Kirsten Beasley, Meagan Ernd, Heather Parman, Paula Passmore and Christina Teter each have a year under their belts. The three outside hitter Beasley, Earnd and Parman along with libero received substantial playing time as first year player. After a strong spring and summer in the weight room, the sophomore class is prepared for another season. The players took time in learning their positions and perfected their shot making abilities.
SIX TRUE-FRESHMAN ENTER THE SEASON
Last season, the Lady Mocs played four freshman in its season opening tournament in Moorehead, Ky. Going into this season, head coach Lisa Rhodes would like to see her experienced players to step up, but look for a couple of new faces outside hitters Jennifer Kuroski and Andrea Johnson along with setter Tess Kosycarz to get an opportunity during the first couple tournaments.
CHATTANOOGA PICKED FIFTH
The Lady Mocs were selected to finish fifth in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The team completed the 2009 campaign in the same position at 12-17 overall and 4-12 in the SoCon. Samford and College of Charleston are the preseason favorites to win the north and south divisions, respectively.