Sept. 19, 2003

Final Stats

Atlanta, Ga. - Western Carolina fought hard in the first two games, but South Florida took control in the third to defeat the Catamounts, 30-22, 30-25, 30-19, in WCU's first match of the Georgia Tech Invitational Friday. The Lady Cats suffered their first loss in the last eight matches and now carry a 7-4 overall record. USF improved to 6-6 with the win.

Western was led by freshman Kellyn Thaut with 10 kills and nine digs on the night. Senior Sara Komosinski attacked well for the Cats with a .235 hitting percentage on seven kills, three errors and 17 total attacks. She added a team-high four blocks in the match. SoCon Player of the Week Shari Harder dished out 22 assists in the contest, adding three kills, an ace, five digs and three blocks.

The Bulls were led by junior Shameka Mitchell who posted a match-high 16 kills on 28 attacks with five errors for a .393 hitting percentage. She additionally contributed three service aces, six digs and three blocks. Senior Bonnye Glover hit well for USF with six kills and only one error on 12 attempts for a .417 hitting percentage. She also led the team with a match-high five blocks.

While neither team hit well in the first two games, the Bulls dominated in the third, hitting .417 as a team. The two teams nearly mirrored each other in digs, with WCU tallying 33 and USF posting 34. South Florida had just a slight edge in blocking with nine team blocks to Western's eight.

The Catamounts continue tournament action Saturday morning against the host school, Georgia Tech, at 10 am, then face Wisconsin at 2 pm before heading back to Cullowhee.