The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team opened up the season with a 3-0 victory over South Carolina State as part of the Chattanooga Classic – presented by Hampton Inn & Suites (Downtown Chattanooga) - on Friday night in Maclellan Gym.
UTC captured the first set with a 25-18 win and followed with wins in sets two and three by scores of 25-9 and 25-8, respectively, to earn the season opening sweep. UTC begins the season 1-0 while South Carolina State falls to 0-2.
“After that first set, I thought we were very sharp the second and the third set,” said coach Travis Filar.
“We showed really sharp ball control and serving pass, and I thought that we did what we wanted to do offensively, and that is attack.”
During the win, the Mocs finished with a .413 hitting percentage while sophomore Miranda Elpers (Louisville, Ky.) led the team by hitting at a .778 clip with seven kills. Chattanooga held the Bulldogs to a -.068 hitting percentage while forcing 18 errors.
Senior Allie Davenport (Tyrone, Ga.) collected team-highs in kills (10) and points (13.0) while also adding three service aces in the win. Junior Lauren Greenspoon (Houston, Texas) chipped in with a match-high 29 assists and added three service aces as well to her stat line.
Additionally, the Mocs marked 9.0 total team blocks, in comparison to South Carolina State’s 2.0.
“We are excited to have three more opportunities this weekend to grow and improve as it’s all a part of the process of getting better as a team,” added Filar.
“I was absolutely ecstatic at our crowd tonight, they were great, I’m really excited in the numbers they came out in, and I hope to see that again the next two days.”
Chattanooga resumes play in the Classic tomorrow with a doubleheader against Presbyterian at 12:30 p.m. and Mississippi Valley State at 7 p.m. Live VIDEO and STATS will be available for both matches.