The UTC volleyball team (7-10, 1-1 SoCon) fell 3-1 Saturday afternoon to Western Carolina (5-12, 1-1 SoCon) at Maclellan Gym.

Chattanooga battled back to take the second set of the match 27-25 after dropping the first 25-18, but with a 25-15 loss in the third and a 25-23 defeat in the fourth, the Catamounts proved to be too much to handle.

WCU jumped out of the gate early with a seven-point victory in the first frame. The Catamounts tallied 12 kills during the set while only allowing Chattanooga six kills. The Mocs were held to a .000 hitting percentage as they also registered six errors. UTC was able to tie the game at 6-6 early, but a 6-1 run padded the Western Carolina lead.

Chattanooga forced the second stanza into extra points and took the decision 27-25. With each team keeping the score within three points the entire match, it took two Chattanooga points to claim a lead and a third straight to reach the win.

Tied 1-1 at the intermission, the Mocs were unable to carry momentum into the third frame. The Catamounts claimed a 10-point victory in the set with their second 14-kill performance. The .382 hitting percentage was the best on the night for WCU while Chattanooga only managed a .114 hitting percentage.

Western Carolina took the fourth and final set with a match-best 17 kills. Chattanooga was able to match its 18-kill performance from the second game, but nine errors cost the Mocs the 25-23 set and the 3-1 match.

"They came out and completely out-played us in every aspect of the game," head coach Travis Filar said. "We had bounces and plays go how we wanted them because of how hard we worked, but we weren't aggressive. We didn't come out and provide a type of resistance or fight that we needed to against a good team. Now we have to regroup and get ready for Samford and Wofford next weekend."

Senior Christina Teter (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) was Chattanooga's kills leader with 16, and freshman Julimar Alvarado (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) collected 10 kills for second-best on the day. Junior Bridget Camacho (Cumming, Ga.) was the Mocs' assists leader with 46, while also sneaking five kills over the net.

Senior libero Paula Passmore (Merritt Island, Fla.) handled 34 digs, and freshman Lauren Gainer stood tall at the net as she downed five assisted blocks and a solo block.

Chattanooga returns to action next weekend as the Mocs host Samford Sept. 28 and Wofford Sept. 29 at Maclellan Gym. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m., and post-match autographs will be signed for fans after each matchup.