Chattanooga beach volleyball entered its season-opening tournament, the Duuuval Duals, fresh off of being picked to finish first overall in the OVC standings, and the Sandy Mocs welcomed the added pressure by opening their 2025 campaign by splitting the day's matches against Jacksonville and Mercer.
The first match of the day was a long, intense one as both Jacksonville University and Chattanooga took and received punches from the other. Eventually, a thrilling victory from UTC's Court 3 pairing proved the determining factor as the Mocs would pick up a 3-2 victory over the Dolphins in Chattanooga's very-first match of the season.
The Mocs then fell in their second match of the day, with Mercer taking down the Mocs 4-1.
The lone point of the match for UTC came from the Court 2 pairing of McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik, who ended the day undefeated for the Mocs.
"Happy with the way we competed and never gave up in our matches," head coach Darin Van Horn said. "Going 1-1 today with the way that we competed is something to be proud of. I think we had some first-weekend nerves to work through, but overall it was a productive first day.
"Jacksonville and Mercer are two different styles of teams that are very competitive. They both exposed us in different ways and forced us to make new changes that we hadn't been forced to do in practice. We are excited to break it all down and grow from this, and tomorrow should be another great test to see where we are at as a team."
Chattanooga beach volleyball closes out its season-opening tournament tomorrow with a pair of matches. First, the Mocs will take on Saint Leo bright and early at 8 a.m. ET before rounding out their time in the Sunshine State with a 2024 NCAA Tournament rematch against No. 19 North Florida. Opening serve against the Ospreys is currently set for 12 p.m. ET.
Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville – W, 3-2
Finishing first on Court 4 for the Mocs were Julia Lawrence paired with Joy Courtright, who were playing in their very-first match as a duo for UTC. After initially losing their first set 21-16, the UTC duo was able to bounce back by winning two thrilling sets in-a-row, 25-23 and 19-17, to clinch the first point of the 2025 season for the Mocs against JU's Miller Reames and Kate Taylor.
JU's Amanda Cunningham and Kelly Erhard responded back by defeating UTC's Court 5 pair of Taylor Clark and Ansley Gulledge in a three-set sequence of 19-21, 21-15, and 15-11 sets. Just like that, the match was right back to level at 1-1.
Jacksonville would then go on to pick up a two-set win on Court 1, inching the Dolphins ahead 2-1 and putting JU one win away from clinching the opening match of the weekend.
McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik had something else in mind, however, as the duo rekindled their freshman year pairing on Court 2 to pick up a crucial 21-19, 21-18 victory, drawing the match level once again at 2-2.
It then all came down to Chattanooga's returning Court 4 pairing of Paige Gallentine and Kit Gresham. And after splitting two back-and-forth, narrowly decided sets, it was all coming down to the third and final set in the No. 4 position. In dramatic fashion, the chemistry of Gallentine and Gresham proved too much for the Dolphins to overcome, as the 4's ended up clinching the third set 15-13, securing the Chattanooga victory to open up the season.
"This match was a grind from start to finish, and once we realized it was coming down to us we just locked in and played with everything that we had," Gresham and Gallentine said following the match. "Winning in such a tight match for the team is an unreal feeling, and we're so proud of how we handled that pressure."
1. Emily Kubicsko/Claire Mrukowski (JU) def. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) 21-19, 21-18
2. McKenna Faychak/Maddie Lecik (UTC) def. Katie Martinez/Hayden Garnett (JU), 21-19, 21-18
3. Paige Gallentine/Kit Gresham (UTC) def. Kristina Nika/Morgan Perry (JU) 21-19, 20-22, 15-13
4. Joy Courtright/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Miller Reames/Kate Taylor (JU) 16-21, 25-23, 19-17
5. Amanda Cunningham/Kelly Erhard (JU) def. Taylor Clark/Ansley Gulledge (UTC) 19-21, 21-15, 15-11
Order of finish: 4, 5, 2, 1, 3
Chattanooga vs. Mercer – L, 4-1
After the heights reached playing against a formidable Jacksonville University, the Mocs faced off against Mercer which ended in a score of 4-1 result in favor of the Bears.
The brightest part of the match for the Mocs came on Court 2 with McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik at the helm against Kate Hardie and Jordan Paddock. It took the full three sets, but Faychak and Lecik were able to pick up UTC's lone win of the day over the Bears.
Chattanooga's No. 3 pairing of Gallentine and Gresham, on the back of their heroics from earlier in the day against Jacksonville, put together an admirable effort with the UTC duo taking the Bears to three sets before eventually falling 21-13, 19-21, 15-13.
1. Hollis Engel/Lexi Polychrones (MER) def. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) 21-17, 21-16
2. McKenna Faychak/Maddie Lecik (UTC) def. Kate Hardie/Jordan Paddock (MER), 21-16, 19-21, 15-13
3. Sydney Benson/Liv Diaz (MER) def. Paige Gallentine/Kit Gresham (UTC) 21-13, 19-21, 15-1
4. Kathryn Corbett/Nicole O'Mara (MER) def. Joy Courtright/Julia Lawrence (UTC) 21-14, 21-17
5. Reese Hood/Grace Rathburn (MER) def. Taylor Clark/Ansley Gulledge (UTC) 24-22, 21-15
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 3, 2