The Chattanooga beach volleyball squad closed out its 2024 home schedule on a rainy afternoon at the UTC Sports Complex on Wednesday, with UTC falling at the hands of Eastern Kentucky and defeating North Alabama both via 3-2 scorelines.
The Mocs battled through a torrential downpour to start their day as they took on the Colonels. Tough playing conditions and a swapped around lineup due to injury saw the Mocs ultimately fall 3-2 to EKU, snapping what was a program-record 10-match win streak.
Chattanooga took full advantage of its opportunity to rebound, however, coming back later in the day to defeat North Alabama in a 3-2 thriller to return to the win column.
“When you’re sitting in pretty consistent rain conditions, it changes how the game is played a lot,” head coach Darin Van Horn said. “The balls are heavy, your finesse players have to find some other ways to be successful, and then we had to mix up some pairs. I was just proud of how they fought and made it work today. It’s not always easy when you’re changing the whole dynamic of a pair, but both matches were still really hard-fought battles where we gave ourselves chances to win.”
“To bounce back after losing such a tight one against EKU and to turn around against another tough opponent and give it everything we had; it says a lot about this group. It’ll definitely prepare us for this weekend. Nothing is a gimme in the OVC so we’ll have to earn it.”
Now holding a record of 12-9, the Mocs travel to Martin, Tennessee, this weekend for the team’s final tournament of the regular season. Taking place April 19-20, UTC will have the opportunity to earn at least a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title this weekend.
“Looking forward to the tournament, it’s double elimination so you might lose a game and you’ll need to turn around and find a way to win again,” Van Horn said. “What they showed me today is exactly what we’re looking to do if we were to lose a match in Morehead. They should have a lot of confidence in themselves and know that they’re doing it the right way.”
Chattanooga vs. Eastern Kentucky – L, 3-2 As the rain poured down at the UTC Sports Complex, the show went on with the Mocs playing host to EKU. The Colonels were able to jump ahead from the start with a win on Court 4, but UTC’s duo of Morgan Romano and Julia Lawrence fought for a two-set win of their own in the No. 5 spot, leveling things out at 1-1. Eastern Kentucky once again jumped in front with a win over UTC’s No. 1 pairing, but the Mocs were able to grind out a hard-fought three-set victory on Court 3 to once again even things out. Coming down to Court 2, a three-set thriller ultimately decided the result, with EKU’s No. 2’s taking the narrow victory to put an end to Chattanooga’s win streak.
1. Sarah Mitchell/Paityn Walker (EKU) def. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) 21-14, 21-10
2. EK Lonergan/Reagan Sandlin (EKU) def. Maddie Lecik/Joy Courtright (UTC) 23-21, 16-21, 15-11
3. McKenna Faychak/Kaye Gresham (UTC) def. Madalyn Richardson/Riley Cutler (EKU) 21-14, 16-21, 15-13
4. Rachel Mueller/Gabriella Armitage (EKU) def. Paige Gallentine/Grace Frigaard (UTC) 21-15, 22-20
5. Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Arilyn Lee/Elpida Pitsigkoni (EKU) 21-14, 22-20
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 3, 2
Chattanooga vs. North Alabama – W, 3-2 Looking to rebound from their earlier loss, the Mocs hit the ground running in their final home match of the season against North Alabama. The Mocs were able to jump ahead with quick victories over the Lions on Court 4 and Court 5. Up 2-0, UTC would then drop their No. 3 matchup in two sets, giving UNA some life down the stretch. The No. 1 UTC pairing of Neva Clark and Corina Vale ultimately proved crucial in this match, crawling back from dropping their opening set to clinch the Chattanooga victory. It wasn’t long after that North Alabama would win on Court 2, making Clark/Vale’s win on Court 1 that much more important in the grand scheme of things.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. Paula Klemperer/Taylor Seney (UNA) 12-21, 21-18, 16-14
2. Katy Floyd/Selma Robinson (UNA) def. Joy Courtright/Maddie Lecik (UTC) 22-24, 21-16, 15-10
3. Mackenzie Martin/Ryenne Gepford (UNA) def. McKenna Faychak/Grace Frigaard (UTC) 21-12, 21-16
4. Paige Gallentine/Kaye Gresham (UTC) def. Kaitlyn Holbrook/Grace Austin (UNA) 21-14, 21-19
5. Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Sarah Larkin Lewis/Jelena Girod (UNA) 21-12, 21-18
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2