The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team opens its Southern Conference schedule this weekend with a trip to Furman Friday afternoon and a stop by Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C., Saturday before returning to Chattanooga. UTC takes on Furman in Greenville, S.C., at 6 p.m. Friday and Wofford Saturday at 6 p.m.
"We're looking forward to this weekend," Head Coach Travis Filar said. "We've been looking forward to it since the Ole Miss Tournament and starting out with a clean slate."
The Mocs go into Friday looking to improve on its 8-9 SoCon record from a year ago. During its last meeting between Furman and Wofford, Chattanooga fell to the Paladins 3-1 but topped the Terriers 3-2. The loss to Furman came on the road in Greenville, S.C., while UTC’s win over Wofford came at home at Maclellan Gym.
Coming into the weekend, Furman is 4-7 overall and 0-0 in the SoCon. The Paladins are 1-0 at home in 2013 and have won four of their last six matches, claiming wins over Presbyterian, Rutgers, Sacred Heart and South Carolina. Their last two losses came 3-2 to Delaware and 3-1 to Clemson.
As a team, the Paladins are averaging 12.17 kills per set and hitting .209. Furman is led by senior Christina Dorismond. The middle blocker has recorded 117 kills on the season and is followed by freshman middle blocker Ashton Gregory with 105 kills. Gregory also leads the defense with 42 total blocks, totaling 14 solo blocks. Sophomore Jo Wilks continues to pace the offense with 411 assists, averaging 10.02 assists per set.
Wofford enters the Saturday match with a 5-9 record and a three-match losing streak. Its last win came against South Carolina State Sept. 17 before going 0-3 at the Wildcat Classic in Tucson, Ariz. Wofford has lost nine straight sets against California Santa Barbara, Arizona and Loyola. The Terriers meet Samford Friday night at 6 p.m.
Amanda Liquori is the Terriers offensive leader with 155 kills while Taylor Baird ranks second with 150 kills. Wendy Burnett comes in third with 119 kills and leads Wofford with 28 total blocks. Libero Jessica Graham leads the Wofford defense with 216 digs on the season, recording a team-best 4.08 digs per set.
The Mocs return home next weekend as UTC hosts Appalachian State Friday and Western Carolina Saturday at Maclellan Gym. The Scenic City then hosts Samford for a midweek match Wednesday at 7 p.m.