Volleyball Mocs are adjusting to a different approach
The team is different for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball coach Travis Filar. Different group, different style, different makeup from the past couple of seasons.
Filar has embraced a more aggressive approach offensively, combined with a gritty, “blue-collar” approach on the defensive end. The team is 5-3 after a 3-1 win Tuesday night at Middle Tennessee State and is coming off a two-year stretch in which the program won 45 games and the team’s first Southern Conference championship in 17 seasons in 2015.
It was the Mocs’ most successful twoyear span since 1996-97, but seven players have been lost to graduation from the 2015 and 2016 teams.
“The challenge was to understand that we were going to be different and win differently,” Filar said recently. “We had to get them to buy into that, but they’ve bought in completely. We’ve understood and embraced where we’re going to be a little bit on the shorter end and are trying to be really good in a couple areas in the game.”
The Mocs finished second in the Chattanooga Classic they hosted last weekend, falling to Murray State in the championship match. Two tournaments remain, starting with this weekend’s Scenic City Showdown, before the team begins conference play.
The Mocs lack the overall size they’ve had the past two seasons, so the staff has focused more attention on being aggressive in serving so the defense and blocking can be in place to make plays. Filar credited the defense for its desire to “keep the ball off the floor,” something he said the team hasn’t had in a while.
And the leaders have changed this season. Sophomore Ally Ford was named to the all-tournament team at the Ole Miss Invitational, and junior Emily Plumlee and sophomore Dani Szczepanski received honors at the Chattanooga Classic.
“We’re going to be a team that right now, how we look in August versus how we look in November will be different,” Filar said. “We’re going to constantly be on a steady climb and improving and growing. “This group is hungry to get better.” The set scores Tuesday at MTSU (0-8) were 25-22, 25-21, 17-25, 25-15. Ford had 17 kills and Miranda Elpers had 11, plus 10 digs, while Lauren Greenspoon had 20 assists, Madison Bergren added 10 and Megan Kaufman made 15 digs. The Mocs served nine aces, led by Szczepanski’s three.
Golf teeing off
The UTC men’s golf team has its first tournament of the fall semester this weekend when it plays in the Carpet Capital Collegiate at The Farm Golf Club in Rocky Face, Ga. The first round is Friday.
This season’s team has five fall tournaments before starting the spring season at the Tiger Invitational in Auburn, Ala.
The Mocs finished 13th out of 14 teams in last year’s Carpet Capital in their worst showing of the 2016-17 season. Senior and former McCallie standout Andrew Weathers is the leading returning UTC scorer from the 2016 tournament, shooting a three-day 222.