The Chattanooga Mocs' indoor volleyball team began action in their final preseason tournament on Friday afternoon with a three-set victory over the Lamar Cardinals. The Mocs fell in the final match of the day in five sets to Eastern Kentucky inside the Wellness Center.
The match was competitive from the start with the first set featuring seven ties and two lead changes. The back-and-forth first frame stayed close at the beginning until the Mocs took the largest lead of the match, a four-point advantage up 18-14.
Lamar was able to inch back, cutting its deficit to as little as two, but never came within one point of the Mocs. UTC hit .370 in the first set with 12 kills, led by Coniah Davis with four. Both teams recorded a block and two aces in the opener.
After another back-and-forth start to a set, Lamar took charge in the second set forcing Chattanooga to use its first timeout of the match down 14-11. The Cardinals held a 21-16 lead and the Mocs found their spark. Gylian Finch started the comeback with a kill which was followed by a Sophia Bossong ace. After Lamar won the next two points, the Mocs were down five again, 23-18. After two Cardinal attack errors and two Kate Neill kills, the Mocs were within one. The Mocs were called in the net which gave Lamar its first set point of the match with a two-point cushion. Maia Rackel led the charge, fending off both set points with back-to-back kills. After a Lamar kill, Aleya Kennedy and Davis came together for a block at the net to tie the set at 25. A solo stuff by Rackel and another Lamar attack error gave the Mocs a 2-0 lead in the match. The Mocs’ defense came up strong in the set with four blocks and 18 digs.
The third set was tied at 12 when the Mocs went on their biggest run of the match. With Neill behind the service line, UTC won the next seven points to give UTC a 19-12 edge. The run consisted of two UTC blocks, four Lamar errors, an ace from Neill and a kill from Kennedy. Lamar came within three, down 22-19, but Liz Tomlin slotted an ace followed by back-to-back kills by Finch to give the Mocs set point. Kennedy gave the Mocs the sweep with her fourth kill of the afternoon.
The first set between the two was tightly contested throughout. Both teams had multiple 3-0 runs, but neither held a lead larger than three. EKU took its first lead since the early stages at 19-18 and from that moment, both sides exchanged the next six points. Leading 23-22, the Colonels held their first set point. The Mocs won the next point but could not fend off another set point. The set consisted of 14 ties and six lead changes.
UTC was the first to take a big lead in the match with the Blue and Gold holding a 15-10 advantage in the second. After an EKU timeout, the Colonels won four straight to come within one of the Mocs’ lead. They tied the set at 17 but were never able to regain the lead. Finch capped off the set with a kill and her first ace of the match.
Eastern Kentucky held a two-to-three-point lead in the beginning of the third. Up 17-15, the Colonels scored seven straight points to hold set point and ultimately took the set, 25-17.
Like the first and second set, the beginning of the fourth frame was close with the two teams exchanging the first 30 points. After the first 30, UTC led 16-14 and EKU called its first timeout. The Mocs capped off its 5-0 run with Ekeler behind the service line with kills from Rackel and MacKenzie Saitta. The Colonels inched close, like they did in the second set, but the Mocs held their lead. The Blue and Gold forced a fifth set with her ninth kill of the match. Rackel led the team with five kills in the fourth frame. The Mocs hit a match-best .243 in the set.
The fifth set had the same start as the rest with the teams being tied at seven. The 7-7 lock was the seventh tie of the set. The Colonels took the lead 8-7 and UTC was unable to tie the match again. EKU hit .381 in the fifth with 10 kills on 21 swings.
Finch led the Mocs with 18 kills. She was perfect in serve-receive with no errors on 29 chances. The senior’s line was completed with two blocks and eight digs.
Rackel was the other Moc with double-digit kills with 13. Davis added nine and four blocks, a mark that was shared with Kennedy for second best on the squad.
Michelle Baez-Carlo led the team with five blocks. Pin hitters Chloe Bryan and Saitta both registered four kills and a block.
As they did in the first set, Ekeler and Bossong split the setting duties. Ekeler’s 24 assist-14 dig performance was the first double-double of her career. Bossong added 22 helpers. Gallentine completed the back-row effort with a team-best 16 digs.
EKU’s outside hitters, Molly Michalak and Sarah Mitchell hit 18 and 24 kills, respectively. Mitchell led the match with a .400 attack clip.
The Mocs conclude action at the Southern Miss classic against the hosts tomorrow at 2 p.m. EST.