The Chattanooga Mocs’ indoor volleyball team begins its second half of the Southern Conference season on Thursday afternoon in Cullowhee, N.C. at Western Carolina. The Mocs will travel to UNCG on Friday evening to conclude its four-match road trip.
MATCH CENTRAL
UTC at WCU | Oct. 21 | 4 PM | LIVE STATS | ESPN+
UTC at UNCG | Oct.
22 | 6 PM | LIVE STATS | ESPN+
LAST WEEK’S RECAP
Chattanooga enters the second half of Southern Conference action with a 2-6 record in league play. The Mocs defeated Samford and Furman both in come-from-behind fashion for their two victories. UTC leads the league in digs per set in conference play with 19.07 and is fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.207).
WRITE THE RECORD BOOKS
Last week in the Mocs’ three-set defeat at Samford, second-year middle blocker, Kate Neill tied the program record for hitting percentage in a single match, hitting .750 with 10 kills and one error on 12 swings. The record was set back in 1989 as Vanessa Pritchett hit .750 vs. Bryan College with nine kills in 12 attempts.
BACK-TO-BACK SOCON WEEKLY HONORS
Paige Gallentine has continued to dominate the back row for the Blue and Gold. She picked up back-to-back SoCon Defensive Player of the Week accolades after logging 6.0 digs per set two weeks ago and 7.17 last week. She is the fourth player in program history to receive back-to-back SoCon weekly honors. Galletine leads all Division I freshman in total digs (398).
LAST TIME OUT VS. WESTERN CAROLINA
Western Carolina defeated Chattanooga in four sets on Sept. 25. The Mocs took the first set 25-20 before falling to the Catamounts in the next three. The Catamounts outblocked UTC 12-2 and limited UTC to a .144 clip, while the Mocs recorded two more aces than Western Carolina. Chloe Bryan hit .478 with 12 kills, pacing the Mocs’ offense. WCU’s Merry Gebel led the match with 14 kills, hitting .333 on 33 swings.
LAST TIME OUT VS. UNCG
The Mocs and the Spartans met to kick off SoCon play on Sept. 24. The Spartans swept the Mocs in Maclellan Gym after winning a tight 27-25 first set. Both teams hit over .200 in the match and combined for nine aces and 12 blocks. UNCG’s Kayla White led the match with 12 kills, while the Spartans’ Grey Breen hit. 438. For the Mocs, Bryan and Maia Rackel both tallied nine kills.
THE BATTLE OF THE BROS
Gallentine and WCU’s Destinee Dorsey are two of the top liberos in the conference. Gallentine leads the conference in digs per set in league action with 5.83, Dorsey sits at 5.38. Overall this season, Dorsey paces the SoCon with 5.13 digs per set, while Gallentine is second with 4.97. The duo has combined for four of the eight SoCon Defensive Player of the Week awards this season. Both players rank in the top-25 nationally.
ABOUT WESTERN CAROLINA
Western Carolina concluded the first half of league action with a 5-3 record and sits third in the conference standings. The Catamounts are coming off a sweep against The Citadel at home before falling to UNCG in four sets. Gebel leads Western Carolina with 3.65 kills per set and is the lone member of the squad with more than 200 kills this season. Dorsey’s 5.13 digs per set are 21st in the nation, the highest individual ranking on the team.
ABOUT UNCG
After being projected to finish last by the coaches in the SoCon Preseason Poll, UNCG is 6-2 in league play and sits second in the league standings. Overall this season the Spartans are 17-4 and had the best start in program history at 11-2. UNCG is led offensively by Kayla White who averages 4.05 kills per set which is second in the SoCon and 42nd in the nation. Spartan setter, Gabriela McHugh, leads the nation and the league with 848 total assists (10.60/set). Both McHugh and White have received three SoCon weekly accolades.
SERIES HISTORY
Western Carolina leads the all-time series vs. Chattanooga 44-41. The Mocs have the advantage vs. the Spartans, 29-21.