The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team is set to host the Chattanooga Classic – Presented by Hampton Inn & Suites of Downtown Chattanooga Friday and Saturday at Maclellan Gym. The two-day tournament welcomes Mississippi Valley State, Murray State and Wright State to the Scenic City to take on the Mocs.
“It’s a great opportunity for Chattanooga to host a home event,” Head Coach Travis Filar said. “This is a great chance for us to promote our university, program and city. Hampton Inn & Suites has been an amazing sponsor, and tips off the first our four weekends at home for our team.”
The event gets underway Friday at 3 p.m.
with Murray State squaring off against Mississippi Valley State. MVSU comes into the match with a 1-4 record, carrying momentum from a 3-2 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday night. The Devilettes offense is led by Halee Clark, averaging 1.71 kills per set, and the defense is paced by middle hitter Halle Gayten – posting 8.0 total blocks.
Murray State is 6-0 on the season, sweeping all but one match played – a 3-1 win over Alabama State. The Racers’ offense is steered by Taylor Olden, collecting 69 kills thus far. The defense looks to Alyssa Lelm to stand tall at the net, blocking 19 attacks.
Chattanooga takes the floor at 6 p.m. Friday to take on Wright State. The two teams share a 2-6 record going into the weekend. The Mocs took a 3-2 victory over UAB Tuesday night, while Wright State fell 3-1 Tuesday in Richmond, Ky., to Eastern Kentucky.
Sophomore Kristy Wieser (Lincoln, Neb.) looks to continue her hot streak as she leads the Mocs with 81 kills on the season. Wieser is back by junior Sarah Batterton (Colbert, Wash.) who has 52 kills. The two tied for the team lead in kills Tuesday with 12 each.
The Raiders turn to Katie Klushman on offense. She has 83 kills this season, while Megan Hopkins is averaging 2.00 kills per set and is second on the team with 65 total kills. Defensively, Haley Garr leads the way for WSU with 23 blocks.
The tournament continues Saturday at 10 a.m. with Wright State taking on Murray State. UTC takes the 12:30 p.m. slot against Mississippi Valley State, and MSVU turns right around to play Wright State at 4:40 p.m. The finale features Chattanooga and Murray State at 7 p.m.
All six matches are played at Maclellan Gym. Live stats are available for each match, and live video of each contest is provided free by MocsVision.