posted September 5, 2008
The Chattanooga Lady Mocs Volleyball team will be back in action this weekend as it hosts the Comfort Inn & Suites Challenge on September 5-6 in Maclellan Gym. Along with UTC, three other squads, Alabama A&M, South Alabama, and Central Michigan, will venture to the Scenic City to play in the tournament.
Chattanooga is looking to rebound off a rough start to the 2008 season, where the Lady Mocs lost all three of its games at the Marquette Kickoff Tournament last week in Milwaukee. In the Badger State, UTC went up against in-state rival Tennessee, Marquette, and Houston, only to fall 3-0, 3-0, and 3-1, respectively.
There have been bright spots early in the season for the Lady Mocs though, as freshman Ellie Kuhn finds herself leading several offensive categories, and senior libero Lara Newberry is still chasing the NCAA’s all-time record in digs. Newberry recorded 40 digs over last weekend, and is only 352 away from the all-time mark of 2,791, set by Minnesota’s Paula Gentile. The Lady Mocs have taken last weekend lightly however, as they were back on the floor Monday, to get ready for the weekend, and try to get that first win under their belt.
"Practice has been very intense this week," Head Coach Lisa Rhodes said. "We have had several good days of practice, and hopefully we can rebound and take this past weekend, learn from it, carry it into this weekend, and win the tournament."
The tournament will kick off at 5 p.m., with South Alabama taking on Central Michigan. The Lady Mocs will then take the court at 7 p.m. for its first match of the weekend, against Alabama A&M. The Bulldogs, who are 0-3 on the season, will be coached by Nedra Brown, who is 15-13 with the AAMU, is in her second season at the helm of the team. She brings back four starters and three letterwinners from a squad that went 15-10 last season.
On Saturday, UTC will play two contests, with the first at noon against the Jaguars of South Alabama, who are 2-0 to begin the season. The Jaguars come into 2008 off a 11-18 season and will return four starters and six letterwinners to the court. Coaching for USA is Nicole Keshock, who is in her sixth season with the Jags, is 34-101 at South Alabama.
Following the game with USA, the Lady Mocs will host Central Michigan at 4 p.m. The Chippewas are 2-1 in 2008 with victories over Maryland and N.C. State, with their only loss coming to Liberty. Head Coach Erik Olson is in his fourth season with the Chippewas and comes into 2008 with five starters, and libero returning. Olson also brings back three letterwinners from a squad that went 22-10 last season.
The other games not including the Lady Mocs will be played at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. In the 10 a.m. game, Central Michigan will play Alabama A&M, and in the third game of the day, A&M will play South Alabama. Admission to all games of the tournament will be open to the public.
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