Nov. 22, 2002
Final Stats
Cullowhee, N.C. - In the opening match of the 2002 SoCon Volleyball Championship, the #5 seeded Western Carolina Catamounts fell to #4 seed Furman in a grueling five-game series, 24-30, 30-32, 30-21, 30-18, 10-15, Friday morning at Belk Arena on the campus of Davidson College. It was the Cats' third loss of the season to the Paladins, who advance to play the winner of the Georgia Southern-Chattanooga match.
In the opening game, Western went out to an early 3-0 lead, as the game proceeded in a back and forth affair. The Paladins hit .245 in the game with senior right side hitter Abby Simon tallying 8 kills. The Paladins outhit the Catamounts in the game, 22 kills to 10.
Game two saw a battle with the Catamounts holding a 27-21 lead. Furman was able to hold off the Catamounts on several game point opportunities, and Paladin senior Carrie Rowley scored a service ace to give Furman a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Catamounts controlled the game three, answering the Paladins' every challenge. Western Carolina outhit Furman .395 to .229, which was the difference in the game. Catamount middle blockers Sara Komosinski and Tricia Eble combined for 28 total kills.
Western Carolina used the momentum from game three in the fourth, not allowing the Paladins to take the match, holding the lead the entire game. The Catamounts battled for every point, and were able to put the game away with strong and consistent defense, as they went on to win 30-18.
The final game saw Furman storm out to an 8-4 lead, and the Paladins never looked back. At 13-7, Western was able to pull themselves back in the match, but Furman was too determined and put the game away on freshman Molly Rybak's serve.
Eble led the Cats with 21 kills in the match, adding a game-high 10 blocks. Komosinski also recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 14 digs. She ended the season as WCU's leader with 421 kills and a .338 hitting percentage. Freshman Eleanor Talbot paced WCU defensively, posting a career-high 15 kills and 25 digs to lead the Cats. Junior Shari Harder recorded 54 assists in the match and added 22 digs.
With the win, Furman ups its record to 21-13, while Western Carolina ends its season at 22-12.
