It was a flawless weekend for Chattanooga beach volleyball at the Berry Kick-Off Tournament, as the Mocs ended up going three-for-three on sweep wins over the course of the tournament after picking up a 5-0 win over host Berry College on Saturday.
The last time the Mocs strung together three-straight sweeps came last season when UTC did it twice as a team. They first strung together four-straight sweeps March 22-23 at the team’s home OVC Weekend before having another run of four-straight sweeps April 19-25 split between the OVC Weekend at Martin and the opening round of the OVC Championships in Morehead.
“It was a quick trip and we did what we set out to do this weekend,” head coach Darin Van Horn.
“We have a good stretch ahead of us going to Tusculum on Tuesday and going to UNA next weekend. A lot of beach volleyball will be played in the next week, so our goal is to know exactly who we are and find confidence going into the OVC.”
The Mocs will have a quick turnaround for their next trip, with UTC set to head to Tusculum for a midweek clash at the TU Tri-Match on Tuesday, March 11. Chattanooga will open that tournament against the Pioneers at 11 a.m. ET before rounding out their day with a 1 p.m. ET match against Lynchburg.
Chattanooga vs. Berry College – W, 5-0
The final match of the weekend for the Mocs got off on the right foot when, just like the rest of the weekend, UTC’s No. 5 duo of Ansley Gulledge and Sydney Jackwin kicked things off with a straight-set win on Court 5 to get the Mocs on the board first.
It wasn’t long after that that Julia Lawrene and Joy Courtright, playing in the No. 4 position, got a 21-15, 21-18, straight-set win of their own to give the Mocs a 2-0 advantage. Paige Gallentine and Kit Greshman then served as the clinching blow for Chattanooga, with Gallentine and Gresham picking up a 21-18, 22-20 win on Court 3.
The final two wins were just cherries on top of a perfect weekend for the Mocs, as the Court 1 duo of Neva Clark and Corina Vale picked up a 21-17, 21-15 win before Maddie Lecik and McKenna Faychak rounded out the day and the weekend on Court 2 with a 23-21, 21-12 victory.
After the dust had settled in Mount Berry, the Mocs were looking at straight-set wins on all five courts to cap off the team’s dominant showing overall.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. Kaylee Howell/Becky Blaydes (BC) 21-17, 21-15
2. Maddie Lecik/McKenna Faychak (UTC) def. Keira Kruk/Sabine Rudolph (BC) 23-21, 21-12
3. Paige Gallentine/Kit Gresham (UTC) def. Kara Schmit/Madie Whitehead (BC) 21-18, 22-20
4. Julia Lawrence/Joy Courtright (UTC) def. Grace Mau/Kat Kelyman (BC) 21-15, 21-18
5. Ansley Gulledge/Sydney Jackwin (UTC) def. Andrea Hurt/Lilly Teagle (BC) 21-15, 21-14
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 1, 2