The UTC volleyball team pulled its Southern Conference record even Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 win over Western Carolina at Maclellan Gym. UTC’s second straight SoCon win brought its mark to 2-2 in league play and 9-10 overall, while WCU fell to 7-11 and 0-4 in the conference.
“I was really proud of how our team played today,” Head Coach Travis Filar said. “Western Carolina is led by three very good seniors, and to sweep them is a tough task. I liked the fire I saw today from our girls. They were able to score points when the pressure was on them.”
Sophomore Allie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.) and Kristy Wieser (Lincoln, Neb.) led the Mocs offensively with 11 kills each, and junior Catherine Chason (Alpharetta, Ga.) manned the defensive effort with 15 digs.
Chattanooga’s defense posted 11.0 blocks while the Catamounts were held to 2.0 total blocks. Six-foot-three sophomore Nicole Sumida (Hixson, Tenn.) totaled seven blocks, including one solo block, and junior Lauren Gainer (Boca Raton, Fla.) led the effort with seven blocks with two solos.
The Mocs took the first set 25-23 – the closest margin of the match. Sophomore Anne Bachmann (Lincoln, Neb.) recorded a team-best nine digs in the frame, and both Gainer and Sumida tallied two blocks each. Offensively, Wieser jumped out to a hot four-kill start. Despite the three-point win, Chattanooga hit just .164 for the set.
The hitting stats improved in the second frame for UTC as its hitters boasted a .256 percentage, winning 25-22 to take a 2-0 lead into the break. Wieser and Davenport each downed four kills, while Gainer and junior Julimar Alvarado (San Juan, Puerto Rico) followed up with three each. Sumida also earned three blocks, giving UTC 4.0 blocks for a second straight set.
The door was slammed on the contest in the third as the Mocs took the third set with an identical 25-22 score from the second. Davenport totaled a set-best five kills as Chattanooga went on to hit .324 – its best percentage of the match.
The Mocs go on the road for the first time in conference play next weekend. UTC visits Wofford Friday at 7 p.m. before meeting with newly-added SoCon foe Mercer in Macon, Ga., Saturday.