The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team fell 3-0 Tuesday night at Maclellan Gym, dropping its home opener to Kennesaw State 25-14, 25-21 and 25-23.
“We were our own worst enemy in this match,” Head Coach Travis Filar said. “Not taking anything away from Kennesaw State, though. They are a well-coached team, but we gave them too many points on errors.”
Sophomore Kristy Wieser (Lincoln, Neb.) had a solid home debut for UTC. The transfer in her first home match as a Moc delivered eight kills and eight digs despite the loss.
The 6-foot-2 middle blocker also collected two block assists on defense.
In double digits, sophomore Anne Bachmann (Lincoln, Neb.) led Chattanooga with 18 assists from the setter position and junior Catherine Chason (Alpharetta, Ga.) led the defense with 17 digs at libero.
Chattanooga’s largest deficit came in the first set with Kennesaw State claiming an 11 point victory, but UTC rallied back in the second and third frames to bring the match to a nail-biter.
The Owls outscored the Mocs by just four in the second and squeaked by with a two-point win in the final set. With KSU leading 24-21 going into the final few serves, Chattanooga made a short run with sophomore Allie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.) delivering a timely kill to bring possession back to the home team, and an attacking error on the ensuing volley brought UTC within one point of tying the stanza at 24. However, an Owls’ timeout was just what KSU needed to get over the hump and claim the three-set road sweep.
The Mocs hit the road again Thursday as the team travels to Athens, Ga., to compete in the Georgia Bulldog Invitational. While at the neighboring SEC campus, UTC takes on Georgia, College of Charleston and Belmont. Chattanooga returns to Maclellan Gym Sept. 12 to host the Chattanooga Classic.