By james art BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Chattanooga volleyball topped Samford on Saturday night in Birmingham, as the Mocs defeated the third-ranked Bulldogs in a three-set match on their home floor.
The Mocs looked better than the Bulldogs in every aspect of Saturday night’s game, including UTC kills (39-33), hitting (.363-.155), serving (7-5), blocks (8) -3) and drubbed (40-37) Samford in what can only be classified as a blowout win by the Mocs.
The win marked Chattanooga’s first road victory against the Bulldogs since the 2010 season, during which the Mocs earned a 3-1 win in Birmingham. The last time the Mocs swept the Bulldogs on the road? October 15, 1996
“The team was very prepared for the game,” the head coach Julie Torbett Thomas said. “I thought Elaine (Redman) was incredible offensively. Sidney (Jacquin) played great and Chardier (Vanzand) was scary at times. She was so good.
“To come in and sweep a really good program like Samford — it took everybody.”
The opening two frames were dominated by Chattanooga’s offense as the Mocs would go on to swing at .394 and .433 clips in the first and second sets, respectively. After taking the first set 25-21, the Mocs put together their best frame of the night in the second, running away with a 25-17 win to go up 2-0 against the Bulldogs.
In the third and final set, it was UTC’s defense that proved the fatal blow of the match with the Mocs limiting the Bulldogs to an incredible negative .029 hitting percentage, finishing the set with more errors (10) than kills (9).
of Chattanooga Sidney Jaquin and Chard’e Vanzandt tore the Bulldogs apart offensively, with Jaquin finishing the night with 13 kills on a .303 hitting percentage, while Vanzandt added 12 kills on a blazing .688 arm. The trio of Paige GallentineJackwin and Vanzandt also scored key points for UTC on serve, with each player finishing her night with two team-leading aces.
Gallentine also helped give the Mocs an edge on defense behind a team-leading 14-point performance. Both Erin Wyatt and Kinley Kirkendall rounded out the Mocs’ defensive effort, tying a team-high three blocks in the win.
NEXT
The Mocs will now continue their short spell on the road by closing out their non-conference season in Clarksville, TN, facing Austin Peay on Tuesday, October 26th. The game, which is scheduled to take place at 7:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. CT), will be available to stream on ESPN+. The Mocs will then return to Maclellan Gymnasium this Friday and Saturday to play the team’s final two home games of the year against Mercer and Furman. Friday’s game against the Bears is set for 6:00 PM ET, while Saturday’s senior day against the Paladins is set for 4:00 PM ET. Both games can also be seen on ESPN+.
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