NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Chattanooga junior wide receiver Sam Phillips put together one of the best performances the Mocs’ program has seen in some time, earning the TSWA’s Football Offensive Player of the Week Award.
The junior from Cartersville, Ga., posted a career-high 195 yards on eight catches with one touchdown, while also returning a punt 15 yards for 210 all-purpose yards. The totals were buoyed by an 84-yard touchdown reception – the longest scoring play for Chattanooga since Ailym Ford’s 86-yard run against Wofford in 2022 and the longest pass play for the program since Nick Tiano to Bryce Nunnelly for 89 yards against Tennessee Tech in 2018. It is tied for the ninth-longest pass play in program history.
Despite the 24-21 loss to Football Bowl Subdivision foe Georgia State, Phillips’ all-purpose tally was the most against an FBS opponent since Brian Sutherland’s 254 yards at Auburn in the 2010 campaign and the fourth-most receiving yards against a top-tier Division I foe behind Cos DeMatteo (207 vs. Louisville in 1999), Tony Jackson (200 vs. Vanderbilt in 1980) and Rocky Turner (198 vs. Ole Miss in 1971).
On the defensive side of the ball, Memphis linebacker Elijah Herring took home the honor as he led the Tiger defense with eight tackles – six of those solo – with two for-loss, a sack, as well as a forced fumble he also recovered during the victory over back-to-back Sun Belt Conference champion Troy. Herring was also named the American Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week.
VOLLEYBALL: Carson-Newman sophomore setter Blair Cherry had a tremendous week as the Eagles went 2-1, collecting two double-doubles. In the 3-2 loss at No. 6 Missouri-St. Louis, the Knoxville native recorded 49 assists and nine digs to go along with four kills and one block. In a 3-2 victory over Harding, Cherry posted 42 assists with 10 digs and three kills, while adding four service aces and three assisted blocks.
Her big game of the weekend came in a 3-1 victory at Union as Cherry recorded 50 assists over four sets, while also tallying 12 digs, four service aces and a block.
MEN’S SOCCER: Cumberland midfielder Robbie Lyons had a great week as the senior captain from Dublin, Ireland, had three goals and two assists to earn the Player of the Week honor. He had two goals and two assists in a 10-0 victory over Brescia, then added a penalty kick goal against Faulkner. He totaled five shots with four on goal.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: Offense continued in Lebanon as senior forward Gabby Jones put together a monster week, posting 15 total points with six goals and three assists, nabbing a hat trick in both contests. In Cumberland’s 17-0 win over Blue Mountain Christian, Jones had three goals and two assists as she collected 10 shots with six on-frame. She followed that up with another trio of scores and an assist in a 7-1 win over Missouri Baptist, with four shots and three on-goal.
Jones is currently second in the NAIA in goals scored and leads the association in points scored.
2024 TSWA College Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
9/10 | Offensive: Sam Phillips (Chattanooga); Defensive: Elijah Herring (Memphis)
VOLLEYBALL
9/3 | Maddie Isringhausen (Tennessee Tech)
9/10 | Blair Cherry (Carson-Newman)
MEN’S SOCCER
8/27 | Alex Clayton (Belmont)
9/3 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)
9/10 | Robbie Lyons (Cumberland)
WOMEN’S SOCCER
8/27 | Ai Kitagawa (Memphis)
9/3 | Neve Renwick (Tennessee Tech)
9/10 | Gabby Jones (Cumberland)