Chattanooga volleyball suffered a loss to Furman in the team’s final home match of the year on Saturday, with the Mocs dropping a 3-0 result to the Paladins in UTC’s home finale.
The Mocs struggled to hit their stride against the Paladins, and an efficient match out of Furman in which the Paladins out-hit the Mocs .324 to .190 proved too much for Chattanooga in the long run.
Furman opened the match on a tear, scorching their way to a .438 team hitting percentage in the first set.
After claiming a 25-16 set win, the Paladins were off and running.
The Mocs responded well in the second, opening set two on a 7-3 scoring run, but Furman answered right back with six unanswered points to retake a 9-7 advantage in the set.
The two teams swapped points over the course of the second frame, and the Mocs would even have a 24-22 set point opportunity down the stretch. However, four-straight points by Furman not only turned the tide of the set but clinched a 26-24 victory for the Paladins in set two, putting FU up 2-0.
Another series of scoring runs from the Paladins in set three proved to be the dagger of the match, as Furman ultimately claimed a 25-17 win in the third to seal the 3-0 result in favor of the Paladins.
Breanah Rives paced the Mocs with a team-high 13 kills in the match, while Elaine Redman led UTC with 29 assists. Leading the charge on defense was true freshman Kynli Kirkendoll, who capped off her night with a three-block performance, leading the team.
The Mocs have now closed out their home schedule for the 2024 season, and the team will close put the regular season with five consecutive road matchups starting next Friday and Saturday when UTC travels to UNCG and The Citadel. The Mocs open the weekend at UNCG, taking on the Spartans at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, before heading to Charleston to battle with The Citadel on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.