photo by Ray Soldano
The Chattanooga indoor volleyball team opened its 2022 preseason slate with an exhibition against Kennesaw State inside Maclellan Gym on Wednesday night. The Mocs fell in a five-setter, 3-2 (23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 22-25, 15-7).
Chloe Bryan led the Blue and Gold with 10 kills, while newcomer Halle Olson posted eight kills and nine digs. Defensively, Makenzie Jordan led the match with 18 digs. Kate Neill led the team with three blocks, and she added seven kills offensively.
"I thought we started out really strong," said Head Coach Julie Torbett.
"I was really proud of the way we passed and the way we came out prepared. As the match settled in it evened out a little bit. We tried a bunch of different lineups to try and see what people can do. Kennesaw State had some great weapons and they are a really good team. They were picked third in their league and we were excited to have them give us a good test."
Chattanooga got off to a strong set in the first set with a 14-6 lead before Kennesaw State called timeout. In the first half of the set, Olson led the floor with three kills. The Owls tied the set at 23 before another kill from Olson and a KSU attack error led to the Mocs taking a 1-0 lead with a 25-23 first-set win. Both teams hit below .190 in the first set.
The second set was a lot closer from the beginning with the two teams splitting the first 26 points. The Owls won the next six points, forcing the Blue and Gold to call timeout. Lauren Baker ended the KSU stretch with a kill out of the timeout. The Owls closed out the set winning six of the next nine points to tie the set at one. KSU outhit UTC .250-.059 in the frame.
Midway through the third, the Owls held a 17-13 lead. At that point, the visitors had three players with all ten of their kills. After losing two of the next three points, Chattanooga called timeout down 19-14. The Mocs got the set back within three at 21-18 before the Owls stopped the run. The Owls used three kills and an ace to put away the third set, 25-20. KSU's Manu Johnsen posted seven kills in the third frame.
The Owls won the first five points of the fourth before a blocking error and a Bryan kill put the Mocs on the board. The Blue and Gold won the next four points, including back-to-back aces by Olson to take the lead in the set. The frame was tied at nine before the Mocs went on another four-point run, taking a 13-9 lead. The hosts held as large as a six-point lead before the Owls began coming back. The visitors got it within one at 21-20 as Coach Torbett called timeout. The Mocs won four of the next five points to force a fifth set, taking the fourth 25-21. Bryan had four kills in the set as the Mocs posted 12 in the frame.
In the deciding fifth set, Kennesaw State got out to an 8-3 lead as they hit .800 through the first 10 points. The Owls took the set 15-7 behind a .769 attack clip.
"Overall I was happy with our serving, we out-served them and hitting wise, we made less errors than them," said Torbett. "We need to get kills, better blocking and find a rhythm."
The final preseason tune-up squad is on Tuesday, August 23 as the team competes in its Blue-Gold Scrimmage. The team will have a meet and greet opportunity for fans post game. The team opens their 2022 campaign with the Classic City Clash in Athens, Ga. on August 26.