- Chattanooga beach volleyball made some history on Friday during the first day of the OVC Weekend in Morehead, as the Sandy Mocs officially claimed a share of the program’s second OVC regular season title all-time after picking up wins over Tennessee Tech and Lindenwood.
The Mocs opened their day against Tennessee Tech, earning a 4-1 win that also marked the team’s 20th win of the 2025 campaign. This is the first season in program history that the Sandy Mocs have recorded 20+ wins.
UTC then closed out the day against Lindenwood, earning the team’s 15th sweep of the season in a 5-0 effort that ultimately clinched the team a share of the OVC regular season crown.
“We have such a great group,” head coach Darin Van Horn said. “They deserve so much credit. We will celebrate clinching a share of the regular season title tonight, but we are focused on winning it outright. It didn’t come without challenges along the way, but they have stayed together and put the team first.
“We are more than proud of these young women and how they carry themselves and how they represent Chattanooga.”
The Mocs will now have the opportunity to become outright champions on Saturday’s final day of regular season action. A Chattanooga win or a Morehead State loss will see UTC leave Morehead not only as the standalone OVC champion, but also as the No. 1 overall seed for next week’s OVC Conference Championships hosted in the Scenic City.
UTC’s Saturday slate will begin at 2 p.m. ET when the Mocs face off against Eastern Illinois. The Mocs will then take on Morehead State at 6 p.m. ET in Chattanooga’s regular season finale. The Mocs could also clinch the regular season title prior to their first match of the day if MSU were to lose to Lindenwood in their match at 12 p.m. ET.
If Chattanooga wins both of tomorrow’s matches, the Mocs would also have the added incentive of etching their names into some more history books, as UTC would finish the OVC season a perfect 10-0. It would mark just the second time in Ohio Valley Conference history that a team would finish the regular season undefeated in conference play. The other came in 2023, when UT Martin ended the year 10-0 in OVC play before going on to win the 2023 OVC Tournament as well.
Chattanooga vs. Tennessee Tech – W, 4-1
The Sandy Mocs got straight to work in their first match of the weekend, taking on a Tennessee Tech team that UTC has become all too familiar with this season. Having already played (and beaten) TTU twice this season coming into Friday, the Mocs had their eyes set on making it a clean sweep of the regular season against the Golden Eagles.
Joy Courtright and Julia Lawrence set the tone for Chattanooga right away, sending a message to TTU with a convincing 21-15, 21-12 result on Court 4. This was soon followed up by Ansley Gulledge and Sydney Jackwin in the No. 5 spot, as the sophomore-junior duo secured a 21-19, 22-20 straight-set victory of their own to put the Mocs up 2-0.
It then wouldn’t take long for the Mocs to officially clinch their fifth consecutive win as a team, as UTC’s No. 1 duo of Neva Clark and Corina Vale made quick work of Tech’s Jordan Karlen and Bella Powell, battling through a 21-17 win in the first before steamrolling their way to a 21-7 win in the second to clinch the team win over the Golden Eagles.
Tennessee Tech was able to salvage one point in the match, claiming a 22-20, 21-17 win on Court 3. That celebration for the Golden Eagles would be short, however, as McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik put the final nail in the coffin for the Sandy Mocs by picking up a 21-18, 21-14 win in the No. 2 position, sealing a 4-1 UTC victory to open the day.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. Jordan Karlen/Bella Powell (TTU) 21-17, 21-7
2. McKenna Faychak/Maddie Lecik (UTC) def. Brooke Amann/Alayna Pierce (TTU) 21-18, 21-14
3. MK Roberts/Aleeya Jones (TTU) def. Kit Gresham/Paige Gallentine (UTC) 22-20, 21-17
4. Joy Courtright/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Ava Schubert/Emma Pabon (TTU) 21-15, 21-12
5. Ansley Gulledge/Sydney Jackwin (UTC) def. Jazmine Yamilkoski/McKenna Young (TTU) 21-19, 22-20
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 3, 2
Chattanooga vs. Lindenwood – W, 5-0
Picking up right where they left off from earlier in the day, the Mocs were able to keep their momentum going in their second match of the day against Lindenwood. Ansley Gulledge and Sydney Jackwin got the ball rolling for UTC, grabbing a 21-19, 21-12 win on Court 5 to give Chattanooga the early 1-0 advantage.
Joy Courtright and Julia Lawrence the continued what can only be described as a dominant 2025 season in the No. 4 slot, as the duo grabbed 21-17 and 25-23 set wins to get the straight-set victory for the Mocs. The win marks the pair’s 13th-straight win as the team’s Court 4 duo, as Courtright/Lawrence’s last loss came all the way back on March 14, a rarity for the senior-sophomore combo as they now hold a record of 22-3 on the year.
Kit Gresham and Paige Gallentine, bouncing back from their loss earlier in the day against Tennessee Tech, then dealt the clinching blow to the Lions on Court 3 as Garesham and Gallentine were able to cruise their way to a 21-14, 21-13 victory.
The remaining two matches were just the icing on the cake for Chattanooga, as No. 1 pairing Neva Clark and Corina Vale made quick work of their opposition with a 21-13, 21-14 win. McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik then sealed the deal for the Sandy Mocs by grabbing a 21-10, 21-18 straight-set win on Court 2 to close out the day. A sixth-straight win for UTC, the Mocs not only clinched their program record 15th sweep of the season, but officially clinched a share of the OVC regular season title with the victory.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. Abby Jacobs/Annalie McWhorter (LIN) 21-13, 21-14
2. McKenna Faychak/Maddie Lecik (UTC) def. Nyah Wilson/Katie Bockhorst (LIN) 21-10, 21-18
3. Kit Gresham/Paige Gallentine (UTC) def. Abby VanBuskirk/Taylor Gentemann (LIN) 21-14, 21-13
4. Joy Courtright/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Aubrey Sheppard/Gabby Belcher (LIN) 21-17, 25-23
5. Ansley Gulledge/Sydney Jackwin (UTC) def. Myah Hough/Sienna King (LIN) 21-19, 21-12
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 1, 2