The Belmont Bruins defeated the Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team Tuesday night in Nashville, Tenn., dropping UTC to an 0-8 overall record. The Bruins improved to 3-6 with the win over Head Coach Travis Filar’s squad, sending the Mocs back to Chattanooga with a 3-0 defeat.
“Belmont is a great team that has a lot of experience in the NCAA Tournament and winning conference tournaments,” Filar said. “We knew it would be a tough match going in and wanted them on the schedule for that reason.”
The Mocs were downed 25-16, 25-16 and 25-18 by the in-state opponent, dropping their record against Tennessee teams to 0-3. Chattanooga suffered loss to Tennessee and UT Martin over the past weekend at the Country Inns & Suites Invitational.
Belmont took first blood with an ace to begin the match and soon jumped out to an early lead, forcing UTC to a timeout with an 11-5 showing on the scoreboard. Three Bruin errors and kills from both sophomores Julimar Alvarado (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and Sarah Batterton (Colbert, Wash.) gave UTC its first five points.
Chattanooga cut the lead to four, making the score 14-10, but Belmont pulled away in the end on a eight-point run to defeat UTC 25-16.
The Mocs did not fare any better in the second set, falling with an identical 25-16 score. Belmont again won the first point of the frame to set the tone. The Bruins jumped out to a 9-3 lead to force another early UTC timeout in the frame. Chattanooga went on a four-point rally near the end of the set with Alvarado recording a kill while freshman Kendall Sexton (Orlando, Fla.) and sophomore Briana Reid pitching in points, but an attacking error would end the set and send the Mocs to the locker room in a 2-0 hole.
Filar’s Mocs pulled within two more points in the third set of the match, but a 25-18 defeat would prove to be the deciding frame in the competition.
Alvarado ended the night as the Mocs kills leader with seven followed by Reid with six. Sophomore Kasey Talley (Boiling Springs, S.C.) closed out the match with four while Anne Bachmann (Lincoln, Neb.) was the only other Moc to record double-digit kills.
Both Bachmann and sophomore libero Catherine Chason (Alpharetta, Ga.) collected 10 digs and Sexton led the defense at the net with three blocks. Bachmann totaled 14 assists at setter.
The Mocs continue their 2013 schedule Friday as the team travels to Miami, Fla., to participate in the Florida International Invitational. There, Chattanooga will meet up with FIU, Jacksonville and South Dakota State.