The Chattanooga beach volleyball team found themselves facing OVC rival UT Martin for a pair of rescheduled matches this Wednesday in Martin, Tennessee, and the Sany Mocs emerged 1-1 after splitting the day’s matches with the Skyhawks. due to inclement weather in the area.
Only the first match of the day, which UTC won 4-1 over UTM, counted towards the two teams’ OVC records while the second match of the day served as an additional “non-conference” match that only counted towards each team’s overall record.
The Sandy Mocs hit their stride early in the conference matchup, quickly jumping out to a 2-0 lead that allowed for an eventual 4-1 win, ultimately keeping the Mocs’ undefeated record within conference play alive.
Later on in the day, Chattanooga would fall to UT Martin 3-2 to ultimately snap UTC’s seven-match winning streak that started all the way back on March 21.
“UTM is always a battle,” head coach Darin Van Horn said.
“It’s a rivalry. Credit to them for playing us just as hard in the second wave. These are the kind of games that you want to play.
“Our 4’s and 5’s were a solid anchor for us! We fell short at the top in that second dual, though. Quick turnaround for us so we need to reflect and respond quickly to prepare for the weekend.”
Chattanooga will now have a tight turnaround to their next bit of action, as the Mocs are set to travel to Birmingham, Alabama, for the Blazer Beach Bash, which is set to run April 11-12.
Chattanooga at UT Martin: W– 4-1 (Counts towards OVC record)
The first match ultimately set the tone for the ones to the day for UTC, as the Mocs were able to scrap their way to a hard-fought victory thanks in large part to Chattanooga snatching key victories on the lower courts.
Ansley Gulledge and Sydney Jackwin had the most impressive feat of the match, as it looked as though the pair was in for a long day after dropping their opening set 21-4. However, the duo didn’t flinch, grabbing 21-15 and 15-11 set victories to not only reverse sweep the Skyhawks in their match, but to also get UTC on the board first, 1-0.
Sequentially, a tight back-and-forth match took place on Court 4 in which UT Martin’s Ryan Rednour and Dylan Mott narrowly took the first set against UTC’s Joy Courtright and Juliaw Lawrence, 24-22.
Once again, though, the Sandy Mocs saw heroic efforts out on the sand as Courtright and Lawrence rolled up their sleeves and got to work. After picking up a 21-17 result in the second frame to force a third, the Chattanooga pair then battled their way to a heart pounding 16-14 finish to the match, flipping the script on UT Martin to give the Sandy Mocs a 2-0 advantage.
The Skyhawks were then able to get one back on Court 2, as McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik dropped a 21-16, 21-19 contest to allow UT Martin to notch one on their side of the scoreboard. That would be the final point of the match for Martin, however, as UTC’s Court 1 and 3 duos had their sights set on grabbing an OVC victory for the squad.
It was the Sandy Mocs on Court 3, Kit Gresham and Paige Gallentine, who valiantly reignited the team’s momentum by earning a straight-set, 21-16, 21-15 win to clinch the conference win for Chattanooga.
With the OVC undefeated streak kept alive for the team, UTC’s Court 1 pairing of Neva Clark and Corina Vale added the cherry on top for the ESPN+ audience, downing Martin’s top pairing of Riley Rushing and Dylan Sulcer 21-18, 24-22 to seal a fourth and final point in UTC’s favor.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) def. Riley Rushing/Dylan Sulcer (UTM) 21-18, 24-22
2. Olivia O'Keefe/Kayla Bryant (UTM) def. McKenna Faychak/Maddie Lecik (UTC) 21-16, 21-19
3. Paige Gallentine/Kit Gresham (UTC) def. Jenna Vallee/Lauren Mariscal (UTM) 21-16, 21-15
4. Joy Courtright/Julia Lawrence (UTC) – def. Dylan Mott/ Ryan Rednour (UTM) 20-22, 21-17, 16-14
5. Ansley Gulledge/Sydney Jackwin (UTC) def. Sydney Eckhardt/Reagan McGee (UTM) 4-21, 21-15, 15-11
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 3, 1
Chattanooga at UT Martin: L– 2-3 (Does not count towards OVC record)
Chattanooga’s Court 5 pairing of Gulledge and Jackwin picked up right where the team’s hot start to the day had ended in Match 1. The duo would secure 22-20, 21-17 set wins on Court 5 to end their day undefeated as a pair and once again put the Mocs ahead 1-0 to open the match.
Courtright and Lawrence followed closely behind on Court 4, winning their match 21-18, 13-21, 15-7 to move Chattanooga up 2-0, just like the first match of the day.
This is where the momentum took a turn towards the Skyhawks, as Martin’s Bryant and O’Keefe were able to replicate their success earlier in a sweep of UTC’s Faychak and Lecik 21-18, 21-10 on Court 2.
The Skyhawks kept the heat on the Mocs by earning a 21-10, 26-24 win over Neva Clark and Corina Vale in the No. 1 spot, 21-10, 26-24. Suddenly UTC was staring at a 2-2 scoreline with an intense, back-and-forth contest taking place on what would eventually be the clinching court: Court 3.
Despite having won their earlier Court 3 matchup for the Mocs, Gallentine and Gresham were not quite able to replicate their success from earlier in the day. After splitting the opening two sets of their match, UT Martin would pick up a narrow 15-13 win in the third frame to clinch the 3-2 win over Chattanooga, snapping UTC’s seven-match win streak as a team.
Again, it’s important to note that this match only counted towards Chattanooga’s overall record; not the team’s OVC record. The Mocs remain 6-0 in OVC play prior to the final OVC Weekend of the year a week from this Friday in Morehead, Kentucky.
1. Riley Rushing/Dylan Sulcer (UTM) def. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) 21-10, 26-24
2. Olivia O'Keefe/Kayla Bryant (UTM) def. McKenna Faychak/Maddie Lecik (UTC) 21-18, 21-10
3. Jenna Vallee/Lauren Mariscal (UTM) def. Paige Gallentine/Kit Gresham (UTC) 21-17, 15-21, 15-13
4. Joy Courtright/Julia Lawrence (UTC) – def. Dylan Mott/ Ryan Rednour (UTM) 21-18, 13-21, 15-7
5. Ansley Gulledge/Sydney Jackwin (UTC) def. Sydney Eckhardt/Reagan McGee (UTM) 22-20, 21-17
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 1, 3