Chattanooga volleyball is set to host its final two home matches of the 2024 season this weekend as the Mocs welcome Mercer and Furman to Maclellan Gymnasium for a pair of SoCon matchups.
The Mocs have been in great form as of late, with UTC having won five of their last six matches. Chattanooga will face some tall tasks this weekend however, with the SoCon-leading Bears getting a look at the Mocs on Friday followed by the Paladins coming to town on Saturday.
Friday’s match versus Mercer is slated to begin at 6 p.m. ET while Saturday’s Senior Day match against Furman is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET. Both matches are free to attend and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Mercer enters the weekend ranked first in the Southern Conference holding a record of 18-4 on the season and 8-1 in SoCon play. The Bears are riding a five-match win streak during which the team has only dropped a combined two total sets. The last time the Mocs and Bears met, UTC gave Mercer a run for its money as the Mocs ultimately fell in five sets in Macon. The Mocs will be aiming to flip this Friday’s match into a win this go around, but in order to do so the Mocs will have to be able to neutralize one of the NCAA’s best serving teams. Mercer actively ranks third in the entire country when it comes to service aces/set (2.27) as a team in 2024, while leading the nation in total service aces with 191. Much of this success on the serve can be credited to Brooke Phillips, who currently ranks in the top five nationally in both total service aces (57 – 2nd) and aces/set (0.68 – 5th) this season.
Furman has seen a recent skid over the course of the SoCon season, with the Paladins having lost six of their last seven matches and Furman coming into the weekend with an 8-11 overall record and 2-6 league record. Despite it now being the final push of the 2024 season, this will mark the first time that the Mocs and the Paladins will have crossed paths after the teams’ October 4 match was rescheduled to November 12 following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Furman’s defense is anchored by their back row, as the Paladins currently sit 35th in the country when it comes to digs/set (16.52) this season. The stars of their defensive unit include libero Kennedy Seekford, who ranks 57th in the NCAA in digs/set individually (4.55) as well as middle blocker Genevieve Perry, who currently sits second in the Southern Conference when it comes to blocks/set (1.17).