Friday, October 16
Wilmington, N.C. / Capt'n Bill's Backyard Grill & Volleyball Facility
Chattanooga
vs
AVCA East Coast National Qualifier
Photo by: Ray Soldano
Four Sandy Mocs Look to Qualify for AVCA Nationals
10/15/2026 9:17:00 AM | Beach Volleyball
Chattanooga is set to compete in the AVCA East Coast National Qualifier this weekend in Wilmington
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - This weekend presents a big opportunity for Chattanooga Beach Volleyball to make some noise on a national level. The Sandy Mocs are sending Ansley Gulledge, Corina Vale, Taylor Clark, and Sydney Jackwin to compete in the AVCA East Coast National Qualifier in Wilmington, North Carolina at Capt'n Bill's Backyard Grill & Volleyball Facility.Â
Gulledge and Vale are paired up together while Clark and Jackwin are teaming up as the two UTC duos compete in a field of 16 pairs in the Bid Division. The other schools who have players participating in this event are UNCW, Coastal Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia State, Stephen F. Austin, North Alabama, Morehead State, and Catawba College.Â
After the event is all said and done, the top three eligible pairs earn bids to the AVCA Beach National Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, Nov. 6-8. No matter the results this weekend though, Chattanooga already has one pair of its choosing that is automatically qualified for the National Championships.Â
The 16 pairs are divided into four pools based on TruVolley rankings, where they will participate in a modified pool play format. Each team plays an opponent in their pool before the winners and losers of those matches will play each other. After that, the teams will be re-seeded 1-16 and bracket play will start. Â
Gulledge and Vale are in Pool 1 as the No. 9 overall seed, and are scheduled to play against No. 8 Addie Marinack and Traci Schrock of UNCW at 10 a.m. on Friday. The other two pairs in their pool are No. 1 Savannah Ebarb and Bella Troncale of Georgia State and No. 16 Nina Andrezejczak and Samantha Kepple of Catawba.Â
Clark and Jackwin were placed in Pool 3 as the No. 11 overall seed, and also play their first match at 10 a.m., taking on No. 5 Maya McNabney and Madeline Sigmon of Coastal Carolina. The other two teams they could be matched up against in pool play are No. 3 Amelia Taft and Julia Waugh of South Carolina and No. 14 Marcella Hermont and Romina Martinez of Catawba.Â
The first round of bracket play begins on Friday at 2 p.m. with the rest of the bracket set to be played out on Saturday. There is also a 9th place and 5th place bracket for pairs who lose early on in bracket play.Â
Sandy Mocs fans can follow along with tournament results using this link.Â
Quick Notes on the UTC Lineup
Corina Vale, Senior, #19
For the most up-to-date information regarding Chattanooga Beach Volleyball, please follow us on X (@GoMocsBeachVB), Instagram (@GoMocsBeachVB) & Facebook (Chattanooga Athletics Department) or visit GoMocs.com.
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. NIL opportunities with Chattanooga Mocs student-athletes can be found here.Â
Gulledge and Vale are paired up together while Clark and Jackwin are teaming up as the two UTC duos compete in a field of 16 pairs in the Bid Division. The other schools who have players participating in this event are UNCW, Coastal Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia State, Stephen F. Austin, North Alabama, Morehead State, and Catawba College.Â
After the event is all said and done, the top three eligible pairs earn bids to the AVCA Beach National Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, Nov. 6-8. No matter the results this weekend though, Chattanooga already has one pair of its choosing that is automatically qualified for the National Championships.Â
The 16 pairs are divided into four pools based on TruVolley rankings, where they will participate in a modified pool play format. Each team plays an opponent in their pool before the winners and losers of those matches will play each other. After that, the teams will be re-seeded 1-16 and bracket play will start. Â
Gulledge and Vale are in Pool 1 as the No. 9 overall seed, and are scheduled to play against No. 8 Addie Marinack and Traci Schrock of UNCW at 10 a.m. on Friday. The other two pairs in their pool are No. 1 Savannah Ebarb and Bella Troncale of Georgia State and No. 16 Nina Andrezejczak and Samantha Kepple of Catawba.Â
Clark and Jackwin were placed in Pool 3 as the No. 11 overall seed, and also play their first match at 10 a.m., taking on No. 5 Maya McNabney and Madeline Sigmon of Coastal Carolina. The other two teams they could be matched up against in pool play are No. 3 Amelia Taft and Julia Waugh of South Carolina and No. 14 Marcella Hermont and Romina Martinez of Catawba.Â
The first round of bracket play begins on Friday at 2 p.m. with the rest of the bracket set to be played out on Saturday. There is also a 9th place and 5th place bracket for pairs who lose early on in bracket play.Â
Sandy Mocs fans can follow along with tournament results using this link.Â
Quick Notes on the UTC Lineup
Corina Vale, Senior, #19
- Has 59 wins in three years for Chattanooga.
- 3x All-OVC First Team honoree.
- Went 21-6 playing in the No. 2 slot last season and was 10-0 in regular season OVC matches.Â
- 2x AVCA Top Flight player.Â
- Playing in her hometown of Wilmington this weekend.
- 46 wins in two seasons as a Sandy Moc after transferring from Stephen F. Austin.
- Has won OVC Tournament MVP with Jackwin two years in a row.
- Went 21-7 on Court 3 during the 2026 season.Â
- 2x All-OVC Player: (2025, 2nd Team) and (2026, 1st Team).
- 2x AVCA Top Flight Honoree.
- 25 wins in her first year as a starter for UTC last year in the No. 4 slot.
- Her 25 wins tied the school record for the most in a single season.
- All-OVC Second Team and AVCA Top Flight honoree in 2026.
- Has 46 wins in two seasons with the Sandy Mocs after transferring from Louisiana Tech.
- Went 21-7 in the No. 3 slot with Gulledge in the 2026 season.
- Has won OVC Tournament MVP alongside Gulledge two years in a row.Â
- 2x All-OVC Honoree: (2025, 2nd Team) and (2026, 1st Team).
- 2x AVCA Top Flight player.Â
For the most up-to-date information regarding Chattanooga Beach Volleyball, please follow us on X (@GoMocsBeachVB), Instagram (@GoMocsBeachVB) & Facebook (Chattanooga Athletics Department) or visit GoMocs.com.
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. NIL opportunities with Chattanooga Mocs student-athletes can be found here.Â
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