Chattanooga beach volleyball was a force to reckoned with on the opening day of the OVC Tournament in Morehead, Kentucky, sweeping their way past No. 3 seeded Lindenwood to advance the Mocs into the next round of the bracket.
The Mocs failed to drop a set in their opening round tilt with the Lions, grabbing straight-set victories on Courts 3, 4, and 5 to secure their spot in the OVC Semifinals tomorrow against No. 1 seed UT Martin. That match is currently slated to start at 2 p.m. ET on Friday.
The winner of tomorrow’s semifinal matchup between the Mocs and Skyhawks will determine one half of the OVC title game, but the loser will still have a chance to battle their way back into the final.
In the event of a loss on Friday, the loser of Friday’s match would go into a 9 a.m. ET loser’s bracket game, where a win would put them into the championship match at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.
All matches this weekend are available to stream via ESPN+.
The Mocs made quick work of the tournament’s No. 3 seed, with UTC failing to drop a set to the Lions on Thursday. Paige Gallentine and Kaye Gresham set the tone for the Mocs, quickly snatching up a 21-13, 21-13 win on Court 4 to get UTC on the board. This was followed up by a 21-19, 21-13 win by Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence on Court 5, putting the Mocs a win away from clinching the match. Chattanooga wouldn’t need to wait long, as the top three courts each won their first set before UTC’s No. 3 pairing of Joy Courtright and Maddie Lecik sealed a straight-set victory 21-14, 21-10 to punch UTC’s ticket into the OVC Semifinals.
1. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) vs. Nyah Wilson/Maider Soto (LIN) 21-19, 10-13 unfinished
2. Gylian Finch/McKenna Faychak (UTC) vs. Abby Jacobs/Katie Malzahn (LIN) 21-11, 11-13 unfinished
3. Joy Courtright/Maddie Lecik (UTC) def. Jessie Seidel/Annalie McWhorter (LIN) 21-14, 21-10
4. Paige Gallentine/Kaye Gresham (UTC) def. Abby VanBuskirk/Kailee McGee (LIN) 21-13, 21-13
5. Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence (UTC) def. Amber Schade/Elise Llorens (LIN) 21-19, 21-13
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3