The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team will begin the Southern Conference part of its season this weekend with a match at Samford.
The Mocs will take into it a lot of momentum.
UTC (7-6) ended a grueling nonconference schedule with a 3-2 win over Southeastern Conference opponent Ole Miss last Saturday night in the Scenic City Shootout. The Rebels entered the match with an 11-1 record and held a 12-8 lead in the fifth set, only to see the Mocs win seven of the next eight points to claim the win.
“Chattanooga played a really good match on Saturday night,” Ole Miss coach Steven McRoberts said at his weekly news conference. “We have had five matches this season where we’ve been taken to the fifth set, and we’ve always figured out a way to win even when our backs were against the wall.
“We had Chattanooga down 12-8 in the fifth, and they were the ones who did it to us that time.”
UTC ended nonconference play with a win over a Big East program (Xavier) and a big 3-2 win over Appalachian State in addition to the Ole Miss victory.
“I think we’ll take this momentum and belief that we gained over the weekend – and especially our tough schedule the last couple weeks – into conference play as we train and practice building up to it,” UTC coach Travis Filar said.
90-minute focus
The UTC soccer program ended its nonconference slate with a 2-6-1 mark after a 3-2 loss to Austin Peay on Sunday in Clarksville.
The Mocs have shown more scoring prowess. Through nine games, they have 13 goals, with eight coming in a lopsided victory over Alabama A&M. They finished the 2015 season with 19 goals, but with such a young team, coach Gavin McKinney is working to keep them on the right track at the same time.
“We keep getting punished for mistakes,” McKinney said after the Austin Peay match. “I must find a way for this group to put in solid performances over 90 minutes.”
The Mocs have road matches at Furman and Wofford before hosting The Citadel on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/ genehenleytfp.