University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball coach Travis Filar needed somebody to provide consistency at the middle blocker position this season.
Emily Plumlee has fit that bill.
The 6-foot-1 sophomore was named the Southern Conference defensive player of the week after the Mocs defeated Wofford and Western Carolina over the weekend. She finished with 12 blocks in the two matches, an average of 1.7 per set, and ranks seventh in the league in blocks per set at 0.88.
Plumlee started in four matches during the Mocs' 2015 regular-season conference championship run and led the freshman class with a .301 hitting percentage. She was able to learn behind the graduated Sarah Batterton and Lauren Gainer as well as current senior Kristy Wieser, which Filar said was invaluable experience.
"She has been committed to the process of getting better," Filar said Tuesday. "She worked extremely hard last year and learned a lot behind those kids, but mostly she just worked to get better. Now she's come into her own and she has provided us great stability and discipline at that middle blocker position, and discipline is one of the most important pieces of being a middle.
"She's done that and been real consistent for us."
The Mocs (11-7, 4-1), who just took over first in the league, will play this evening at East Tennessee State (11-6, 3-2) and Saturday at UNC Greensboro.
Big soccer weekend
The soccer Mocs close out the home portion of their schedule this weekend with games against East Tennessee State and Western Carolina at Finley Stadium, the latter match Sunday at 2 p.m. serving as senior day.
UTC is currently 3-2 in the league, tied with WCU's Catamounts and a game behind ETSU's first-place Bucs, so this weekend could be big for potential postseason seeding.
Five seniors - Micalah Crafton, Katie Emig, Samantha Hogan, Chattanooga Christian graduate Ashley Simmons and Soddy-Daisy grad Hannah Wyatt - will be honored at Sunday's game.
Front Runner time
The UTC cross country teams will host the Front Runner Invitational this Saturday at Camp Jordan Park, starting at 3 p.m. The Mocs teams each finished second a year ago.
The men are coming off an Oct. 1 win at the Jacksonville State University Foothills Invitational, where the UTC women finished second.
The SoCon meet will be held at Camp Jordan on Oct. 29.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.