Nov. 17, 2002

Final Stats

Charleston, SC - The Western Carolina women's volleyball team lost 3-0 to a hard-hitting College of Charleston team Sunday in the last regular-season match for both teams. With the loss, Western Carolina goes to 22-11 overall and 13-7 in the conference. The College of Charleston ends the regular season with a 26-5 overall record and an 18-2 Southern Conference mark.

Western Carolina kept the first two games close in the beginning but Charleston pulled away both times for the 30-24 and 30-22 wins. The Cougars dominated the third game and held the Catamounts to just a .125 hitting percentage en route to the 30-16 victory.

Catamount Tricia Eble led the Western Carolina effort with nine kills, while Michelle Gorton and Shari Harder paced defensively with 11 digs apiece. Tara Greene and Alisa Long helped pace the Cougars with 12 kills, while Ballard's 16 digs led the team defensively.

The Cougars won their 19th straight and are one match away from tying last year's 20-match winning streak, the longest in the Division I history. The win also gives the Cougars a share of the Southern Conference Regular-Season Championship, their second in two years.

Both teams will travel to Davidson Nov. 22-24 for the Southern Conference Tournament. Seedings will be determined at a later date.