Chattanooga volleyball saw its six-match win streak snapped in heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday night in Maclellan Gymnasium, with the Mocs falling 3-2 to Jacksonville State.
The Mocs (6-2) threw everything they had at the red-hot Gamecocks (6-1), but a rough night hitting the ball ended up being UTC’s downfall with JSU outhitting the Mocs .184 to .131 to help trip Chattanooga up in five sets.
UTC was able to set the tone early with a 25-22 win in the first set. JSU came right back in the second by building up a 17-9 lead over the Mocs.
The Mocs were able to thunder back as close as 22-21, but the Gamecocks slammed the door shut with a 25-23 win in the second.
Much like the two sets prior to them, the third and fourth sets were just as tightly contested between the two sides. The Mocs notched their second set win first, taking the third frame 26-24 before Jacksonville State responded once again with a 25-22 win in the fourth.
Now level at 2-2, the Mocs would be returning to a familiar territory from this past weekend at the Chattanooga Classic: a fifth and final set.
The middle blocker duo of Kynli Kirkendoll and Ashley Taylor set the tone early in the final frame, swatting multiple JSU attacks and getting Chattanooga out to a quick 3-0 lead. The fast start helped the Mocs carry an advantage over the Gamecocks all they way to a 9-8 scoreline.
From here, though, Jacksonville State hit their stride with the Gamecocks going on a 4-1 scoring run to jump ahead 13-10. Despite one last gasp from the Mocs, JSU prevailed by finishing off UTC by a score of 15-12 in the final set of action.
Even with a loss added to UTC’s record, Tuesday’s match proved to be a star-making performance for true freshman Kynli Kirkendoll. After claiming the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week award earlier this week, the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native dazzled by recording a career-high nine blocks for the Mocs. Ashley Taylor was right alongside Kirkendoll, recording five blocks of her own.
A total of four Mocs finished with double-digit digs as Paige Gallentine once again led the charge with 26. Caiti Barthel matched her career-high of 17, while Breanah Rives and Sydney Jackwin each finished with 14.
Leading the way for the Mocs in kills was Rives with 17, followed by Chard’e Vanzandt’s 11. Elaine Redman ended her night with a team-high 33 assists.
The Mocs will now have a brief window to recuperate, as UTC next set of matches come this weekend at the SIUE Cougar Classic in Edwardsville, Illinois. Chattanooga’s tournament will start on Friday, September 13 with two matches: first against SIUE at 1 p.m. ET followed by a 6 p.m. ET cap against Bellarmine. The Mocs then wrap up their weekend on Saturday by taking on Murray State at 12 p.m. ET. The only match available to stream this weekend will be the UTC v SIUE match, which will be available on ESPN+.