Oct. 15, 2004

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - With parents and family looking on, the Western Carolina volleyball clawed its way to a 2-0 lead then survived three-consecutive game points before securing the 31-29 victory in the third to complete the sweep, 3-0, of Furman Friday night in Southern Conference action. The win snaps Western's four-match losing skid to the Paladins.

Before the match, the Catamount volleyball players were introduced with their parents and family members in a special ceremony honoring all members of the Western Carolina volleyball family.

The Catamounts (8-10, 4-5) had a trio of players tally double-doubles, led by sophomore Kellyn Thaut's 16 kills and 11 digs. Senior Stefanie Peters added 14 kills and 10 digs in the winning effort. Furman, who slips to 8-10 overall, 3-4 in league play, was paced by sophomore Whitney Purser's double-double of 13 kills and 12 digs.

Trailing two games to none, Furman was poised to force a fourth game and continue the match, leading 29-25 after one of freshman Chibuzo Aguocha 12 kills on the evening. However, the Catamounts turned to right arm of the defending SoCon freshman of the year. Thaut tallied back-to-back kills to move the match to 29-27. Western pulled to within one when Furman's Corey Stewardson was whistled for a ball handling error, prompting a Furman timeout. Following the break, Aguocha committed her eighth attack error on the night to even the score at 29 apiece.

With sophomore Kate Willard serving, Thaut hammered home kills 15 and 16, with the assist from Willard on both, to give the Catamounts the hard-fought 31-29 game and match victory.

In the opening game of the match, the Cats took the lead early and never let go, jumping out to the 9-5 advantage. Furman rallied, pulling to within two at 10-8 before WCU went on a 6-1 run to pull out to a 16-9 lead. The Paladins tried to break momentum early by calling a timeout. After the stoppage, Western continued with the advantage, finishing off game one, 30-25.

Game two saw a rejuvenated Furman jump out to an early 9-4 lead before the Catamounts could recover. However, sophomore Meghan Boyle served up four-consecutive points for Western to take the two-point lead, 12-10. The game seesawed back-and-forth with Western finishing things off after a 28-28 tie.

Willard added to the efforts of Peters and Thaut as the third Catamount to post a double-double, finishing with 19 assists and a dozen digs. Freshman Melissa Parana added seven kills and a pair of solo blocks, with junior Ellie Talbot leading Western defensively with 15 digs. Sophomore Meghan Boyle missed a double-double by one digs, finishing with nine and 21 total assists.

Furman also got 11 kills from sophomore Ally Hock and 14 digs from senior Rosey Cashman defensively.

Western Carolina concludes its four-match homestand Sunday by stepping out of conference play to host Coastal Carolina for a Sunday afternoon matinee. The match is slated to start at 2:00 in the Ramsey Center.