Chattanooga volleyball opens up what will end up being a five-match road trip to cap off the 2024 regular season, as the Mocs are set to take on UNCG and The Citadel this weekend in Greensboro and Charleston, respectively.
A recent skid has seen the Mocs (14-12, 4-7 SoCon) fall to the No. 7 seed in the latest Southern Conference standings. They’ll now look to make a move back up the board by taking on current No. 8 seed UNCG (7-17, 2-10 SoCon) followed by No. 5 seed The Citadel (12-11, 6-6 SoCon) in their home gyms.
UTC’s match with the Spartans is scheduled for a 6 p.m.
ET start time on Friday, November 8, while the Mocs’ match against the Bulldogs is slated for a 7 p.m. ET start on Saturday, November 9. Both matches will be available to stream on ESPN+ with live stats also being provided from each host school.
Paige Gallentine officially moved into second all-time on the Mocs’ career digs leaderboard in UTC’s match at Wofford earlier this season, with Gallentine now sitting at 2,556 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). Gallentine has also now officially entered the NCAA’s Top 25 all-time when it comes to career digs, with Gallentine coming in at 21st in NCAA history.
UTC head coach and Director of Volleyball Julie Torbett Thomas officially reached yet another coaching milestone in her illustrious, 31-year coaching career earlier this week as Torbett Thomas earned her 50th win as UTC’s head coach. Torbett Thomas’ coaching record with the Mocs now sits at 50-42, making her the fourth coach in program history to coach the Mocs to 50+ wins. She needs another six victories to surpass Tony Jardin for the third-most head coaching wins in program history. Torbett Thomas’ win percentage with the Mocs (.544) actively ranks as the highest win percentage by a UTC head coach in program history. Her career head coaching record now stands at 518- 446.
The front row pairing of Kynli Kirkendoll and Chard’e Vanzandt have taken the Southern Conference by storm this year, not only serving as massive defensive presences for the Mocs but as efficient attackers that can go off at any given moment. Kirkendoll currently ranks fourth in the SoCon in terms of hitting % (.341) while Vanzandt clocks in at fifth (.337) in the league.
This year’s Chattanooga team has not one, but two of the pro- gram’s most decorated players competing in their final seasons. Setter Elaine Redman and libero Paige Gallentine have quickly become two of UTC’s most decorated volleyball players ever, and the pair currently sit at eight and seven career SoCon POTW awards won, respectively. Redman, who just recently surpassed Gallentine with a SoCon Setter of the Week honor on October 14, now needs just one more Player of the Week award to officially tie herself for the conference record. The SoCon’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 Spartans have been on a skid of their own these past couple of matches, with UNCG entering its contest with Chattanooga having suffered 3-0 defeats in each of its past four matches. However, only one of those sweeps happened on UNCG’s home floor, a 3-0 loss at the hands of ETSU on October 26. Overall, the Spartans are a much more formidable opponent when playing in Greensboro, with four of the team’s seven wins this season coming in Fleming Gymnasium. There is one player in particular that the Mocs will have to look out for, that being true freshman outside hitter Allie Sweet. UNCG has force fed the youngster this season, as Sweet’s 13.61 attacks/set are not only good enough to lead the conference but rank second in the entirety of the NCAA. Subsequently, Sweet also leads the SoCon in kills/set this year, averaging 4.19. This total ranks 40th in the nation.
The Bulldogs have been a very streaky team over the course of Southern Conference play, with The Citadel sitting a dead even .500 in league play with a 6-6 record. 12-11 overall on the season, the Bulldogs were able to collect a 3-0 victory in the team’s most recent match against UNCG, helping to snap what was a two-match losing streak of their own. Anchored by libero Jaelynn Elgert, whose 4.89 digs/set rank third in the SoCon and 26th nationally, the Bulldog defense has been tough to score on with The Citadel ranking third in the entire NCAA for team digs/set (18.81). The Mocs will also have to hone in on reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year Ali Ruffin and Southern Conference Setter of the Year Belle Hogan, who pose as a dangerous tandem on the offensive side of the ball.