- Chattanooga beach volleyball continued what has now become a historic win streak on Tuesday at the TU Tri-Match, after the Sandy Mocs were able to pick up 5-0 victories over the likes of Tusculum and Lynchburg.
Now with a record of 7-2 on the young season, the Mocs have seemingly hit their stride with the team’s first taste of OVC action looming in less than two weeks’ time. Chattanooga is currently on a five-match win streak with each of those matches having been 5-0 sweep wins in favor of the Mocs.
It marks the most consecutive sweeps in program history for UTC beach volleyball.
“Happy to show up and take care of business,” head coach Darin Van Horn said. “Wasn’t without a few bumps in the road, though. Looking forward to carrying the momentum into this weekend at UNA.”
The Mocs will have a tight turnaround to their next tournament, the Shoals Beach Bash, set to run March 14-15 at North Alabama. UTC will open the tournament at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) on Friday with a rematch against Tusculum before closing out the day at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) against Austin Peay. Saturday’s matches will then consist of Chattanooga taking on Missouri State at 9 a.m. ET (8 a.m. CT) as well as host North Alabama at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT) to round out the weekend.
Chattanooga vs. Tusculum – W, 5-0
UTC’s Court 5 pairing of Sydney Jackwin and Ansley Gulledge set the tone for the day right from the start of the first match, as Jackwin and Gulledge cruised to a 21-11, 21-10 victory to put the Mocs up by one. Shortly thereafter, Julia Lawrence and Joy Courtright would grab a three-set win for UTC on Court 4, giving the Mocs an early 2-0 advantage on the host Pioneers.
Paige Gallentine and Kit Gresham, playing in the No. 3 spot for the Mocs, then did what they have now done four times this season: clinch the match for Chattanooga. Gallentine and Gresham ultimately fought their way to a 21-14, 21-15 result in the No. 3 slot, guaranteeing a Chattanooga win over Tusculum.
With the team result already locked up, the Mocs could now turn their attention on securing another sweep, and the No. 2 pairing of McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik would keep the team on pace by putting together a 21-11, 26-24 win. The No. 1 duo of Neva Clark and Corina Vale then finished the job for the Mocs, as after a 21-16 opening set Clark/Vale dominated the second frame 21-9 to not only secure a Court 1 victory, but secure a UTC sweep to open the day at Tusculum.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. Hannah Marsh/Brynn Smith (TU) 21-16, 21-9
2. Maddie Lecik/McKenna Faychak (UTC) def. Ryann Gallagher/Morgan Willis (TU) 21-11, 26-24
3. Paige Gallentine/Kit Gresham (UTC) def. Mia Johnson/Sofia Richmond (TU) 21-14, 21-15
4. Julia Lawrence/Joy Courtright (UTC) def. Landry Tea/Kyla Oppenhuis (TU) 21-10, 15-21, 15-11
5. Ansley Gulledge/Sydney Jackwin (UTC) def. Nyah Goss/Katie Murphy (TU) 21-11, 21-10
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Chattanooga vs. Lynchburg – W, 5-0
Picking up right where the team had left off, the Mocs put together yet another dominant outing in the team’s second match of the day against Lynchburg.
Gulledge and Jackwin, already riding the high of their earlier blowout win on Court 5, doubled down by putting together one of the most dominant wins in program history together against Lynchburg. Winning their match 21-3, 21-4 and only allowing the opposition to score just seven points in total over the course of the match, Gulledge/Jackwin gave the Mocs an early lead once again, one that UTC wasn’t planning on losing anytime soon.
Julia Lawrence and Joy Courtright saw a one-sided result fall their way as well in the No. 4 position, as the pair had an equally as impressive 21-4, 21-7 victory to hang their hats on. It was then the Court 2 pairing of McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik that would deal the clinching blow for the Mocs, with Faychak and Lecik picking up a 21-15, 21-13 win to put Chattanooga ahead 3-0.
With the win once again secured, the Mocs were able to hone in on earning another sweep to close out their tournament. Neva Clark and Corina Vale got the ball rolling with a quick first set on Court 1, winning the frame 21-6. The duo then went on to pick up a 21-18 result in the second set, taking home the win on Court 1 and putting the Mocs ahead 4-0.
The fate of the sweep then fell on Paige Gallentine and Kit Gresham’s shoulders. The UTC pair had dropped the opening set of their match, 21-14, which meant in order for the Mocs to make history and earn their program record fifth consecutive sweep, Gallentine and Gresham would have to pull off the reverse sweep on Court 3.
The UTC duo got right to work, picking up a 21-12 result in the second frame to level things out at 1-1. In a hard-fought third and final set, Gallentine and Gresham then showcased how good of chemistry the senior duo truly has out on the sand, with the pair winning the set 15-12 to clinch Chattanooga’s fifth-straight sweep in 2025.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. SJ Yanz/Amanda Trapp (LYN) 21-6, 21-18
2. Maddie Lecik/McKenna Faychak (UTC) def. Kailey Keough/Mady Shirey (LYN) 21-15, 21-13
3. Paige Gallentine/Kit Gresham (UTC) def. Jordan Palmer/Sydney Phillips (LYN) 14-21, 21-12, 15-12
4. Julia Lawrence/Joy Courtright (UTC) def. Parker Lynch/Lydia Nelson (LYN) 21-4, 21-7
5. Ansley Gulledge/Sydney Jackwin (UTC) def. Jamie Smith/Mackenzie Ingrassia (LYN) 21-3, 21-4
Order of finish: 5, 4, 2, 1, 3