Chattanooga volleyball will return to action this weekend with a one-off road SoCon matchup against Mercer on Saturday, October 5 in Macon, Georgia.
The Mocs will be hoping to snap a three-match losing skid over the weekend, but in order to do so they will have to down a Mercer team that currently leads the entire NCAA in both aces/set (2.48) and total aces (134) on the year.
Saturday’s match is slated for a 6 p.m. ET start time, and fans will be able to catch the match on ESPN+ or follow along via live stats provided by Mercer.
UTC’s Friday match at Furman University was postponed in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Libero Paige Gallentine officially moved into second all-time on Chattanooga’s career digs leaderboard last week at Wofford, with Gallentine now sitting at 2,367 career digs during her time at UTC. When taking into consideration that Lara Newberry, who not only sits atop the UTC career digs leaderboard but the entire NCAA’s career digs leaderboard, played during both the 30-point set and rally scoring eras, this means that Gallentine is officially the all-time program leader for career digs for the modern era of scoring (25-point set, sideout scoring). Gallen- tine needs 122 more digs to officially enter the NCAA’s Top 25 all-time in career digs herself, and currently leads all of NCAA Division I on the active career digs list.
UTC head coach and Director of Volleyball Julie Torbett Thomas is closing in on a Chattanooga coaching milestone as her third year in the Scenic City is now in full swing, with Torbett Thomas inching closer to the 50-win mark as UTC’s head coach. Torbett Thomas actively holds a record of 44-37 with Chattanooga, a win total that currently ranks fourth all-time in program history. Currently coaching in her 31st season of collegiate volleyball, Torbett Thomas’ all-time coaching record stands at 512-441.
Senior setter Elaine Redman has been on a war path to open the year for the Mocs. As of October 1, Redman actively ranks second in all of Division I when it comes to total assists this season, with the Chattanooga native having notched 604 on the young season. Redman is currently averaging 40.27 per match and 10.07 per set on the year. She also ranks 44th in the nation and first in the SoCon in terms of assists/set.
This year’s Chattanooga team has not one, but two of the pro- gram’s most decorated players competing in their final seasons of eligibility. Setter Elaine Redman and libero Paige Gallentine have quickly become two of UTC’s most decorated volleyball players of all time, and the pair currently sit tied with one another for the program record for most SoCon Player of the Week awards in a career. Each has won seven total POTW honors, with Redman having already collected two this season to match Gallentine’s career total. The Southern Conference’s record holder for most POTW awards won in a single career is Georgia Southern’s Martina Veiglova (2001-03), who wrapped up her time having won nine total Player of the Week honors.
The Bears have gotten off to an amazing start to their 2024 season, currently holding the best overall record in the Southern Conference (based on win percentage) sitting at 11-3 on the year. Mercer opened its year seemingly unstoppable, going 10-1 over the team’s first 11 matches with the Bears only losing to High Point 3-1. However, a tough end to the team’s non-conference schedule saw the Bears drop back-to-back matches, first against FAU and then against Illinois State. The Bears got back on the right track in their Southern Conference opener, defeating the defending regular season champions The Citadel in four sets. While Mercer is an extremely well-rounded squad, there is one aspect of the Bears that will prove the most daunting for UTC: their serving. Right now, the Bears currently lead the entire NCAA in both aces/set (2.48) and total aces (134), and that is thanks in large part to setter Brooke Phillips, who currently ranks third in the NCAA individually in aces/set (0.78) having already logged 42 on the season.