In a packed day of action at the UTC Sports Complex, one thing remained consistent: Chattanooga beach volleyball was here to win.
Capturing a trio of wins over the likes of Tusculum, Austin Peay and Carson-Newman, the Mocs (11-8, 5-1 OVC) have soared through their competition as of late with the team now having strung together a program record 10 consecutive victories on the season.
“We got challenged in a lot of different ways, but the biggest thing I’m proud of was coming off a big day one and still finding ways to win when things weren’t always going our way today,” head coach Darin Van Horn said.
“Personally and in pairs we had some challenges where it just didn’t feel as good today, but we grinded it out. You can’t always win pretty, so proud of them for getting the wins however they did.”
“It’s been a good weekend and I want them to celebrate it. I’m just really proud of how everything has been coming together for them. Not every road is smooth and they’re all buying in and wanting to work together in their partnerships.”
In the history of the Ohio Valley Conference, there have been only three member teams to have a win streak of 10+ victories, with the 2024 Mocs currently sitting as one of those programs. The OVC record for longest win streak belongs to Morehead State, who won 15 straight matches between the 2019 and 2021 seasons.
The Mocs will have the opportunity to build upon their win streak in their next slate of matches on April 17, with UTC hosting Eastern Kentucky and North Alabama in the team’s final pair of home matches of the year at the UTC Sports Complex. Those matches are currently slated for 1 pm ET and 5 pm ET start times.
Chattanooga vs. Tusculum – W, 4-1
The Mocs set the tone for the day right as the sun started to rise over the Scenic City, with the Mocs taking it to the Pioneers in what was a 4-1 victory for UTC at 8 am ET. Sparked first by a two-set sweep by Paige Gallentine and Kaye Gresham, followed by Morgan Romano and Julia Lawrence’s three-set thriller on Court 5, the Mocs were in great position to clinch as the top three pairings took to the sand. Joy Courtright and Maddie Lecik eventually dealt the crucial blow to Tusculum in a three-set thriller of their own, and Gylian Finch and McKenna Faychak grabbed one last three-set victory to seal a 4-1 scoreline for the Mocs.
1. Morgan Browne/Olivia Browne (TUS) def. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) 20-22, 21-15, 16-14
2. Gylian Finch/McKenna Faychak (UTC) def. Riley Rushing/Hannah/Marsh (TUS) 15-21, 21-17, 15-5
3. Madde Lecik/Joy Courtright (UTC) def. Kyla Oppenhuis/Brynn Smith (TUS) 21-17, 14-21, 15-12
4. Paige Gallentine/Kaye Gresham (UTC) def. Charlyn Miller/Katie McLamb (TUS) 26-24, 21-16
5. Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Morgan Willis/Katie Murphy (TUS) 16-21, 21-9, 15-13
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 2, 1
Chattanooga vs. Austin Peay – W, 3-2
Following a Senior Day celebration that honored UTC’s six members of its 2024 senior class, the Mocs took to the sand to face a very familiar opponent in Austin Peay for the third time this season. The Mocs leaned heavily upon the aforementioned seniors to grab Court 4 and 5 wins to open the match, with Madelina Myers-Osband/Grace Frigaard and Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence finding 2-0 sweeps in both matches. APSU wasn’t ready to go out quietly, however, with UTC dropping its Court 2 matchup. In a tightly contested match in the No. 1 spot, Neva Clark and Corina Vale were able to clinch the match in what proved to be a crucial victory for Chattanooga, as the Mocs would eventually drop the Court 3 match to finish off the Governors by a score of 3-2.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. Kelsey Mead/Aurora Bibolotti (APSU) 21-18, 26-24
2. Riley Marshall/Anna Rita (APSU) def. Gylian Finch/McKenna Faychak (UTC) 20-22, 21-17, 15-10
3. Mikayla Powell/Maggie Dugos (APSU) def. Paige Gallentine/Kaye Gresham (UTC) 21-16, 11-21, 17- 15
4. Madelina Myers-Osband/Grace Frigaard (UTC) def. Jamie Seward/Payton Deidesheimer (APSU) 21-17, 21-12
5. Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Montana-Rae Pelak/Tristin Smith (APSU) 21-19, 21-16
Order of finish: 4, 5, 2, 1, 3
Chattanooga vs. Carson-Newman – W, 5-0
The Mocs then wrapped up their day with a dominant performance over Division II foe, Carson-Newman. All five of UTC’s pairings came away with victories, with only two pairs needing third sets to get the job done. The sweep marks Chattanooga’s sixth sweep of the season as a team, as well as their second sweep of the Scenic City Showdown.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. McKenna Hall/Sierra Still (CN) 21-18, 21-18
2. Gylian Finch/McKenna Faychak (UTC) def. Paige Halcrow/Ava Fountain (CN) 21-18, 19-21, 15-9
3. Joy Courtright/Maddie Lecik (UTC) def. Jenny Ille/Camryn Ehlers (CN) 21-18, 21-17
4. Paige Gallentine/Kaye Gresham (UTC) def. Trinity Hafey/Truth Hafey (CN) 21-12, 16-21, 15-7
5. Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Kat Nelson/Morgan Foy (CN) 21-9, 21-12
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1