Cullowhee, N.C - The Western Carolina women's volleyball team rebounded from having dropped their 2004 home opener by continuing their 12-match winning streak over UNC Greensboro, downing the Spartans 3-0 (30-18, 30-14, 30-26) in Southern Conference volleyball action Saturday afternoon in the Ramsey Activity Center.
The win, Western's first three-game sweep of the season, improves the Cats' record to 6-7 overall and evens their Southern Conference record at 2-2. It also marked the fourth time in five attempts that a Catamount volleyball team had rebounded to win their second home match after dropping the home opener. UNC Greensboro falls to 2-16 on the season, winless in three attempts in conference action.
Leading the way for the Catamounts was sophomore Kellyn Thaut who tallied 14 kills marking the eleventh match in a row she has reached double-figures in kills. UNC Greensboro was paced by freshman Alysia Rosvold, who finished with 13 kills, and senior Rebekah Faulise, who was the only player in the match to score double-digit digs with 10.
The two teams battled back-and-forth in the early portion of game one. Standing tied at 7-7, Western Carolina rattled off five consecutive points to take a 12-7 lead. UNCG rallied back, pulling to within two at 12-10, then tying the match at 15 apiece on a kill by freshman Cindy VanDervoort. However, the Cats outscored the Spartans 15-3 down the stretch to take the 1-0 lead.
In the second game, Western raced out to a 10-4 lead behind the service of junior Ellie Talbot, who notched a pair of aces in the rally. UNC Greensboro scored three points in a row midway through the game to reduce the deficit to seven, 18-11, but 12 attack errors in the game sealed the fate of the Spartans, who fell behind 2-0 with the 30-14 loss.
The Spartans took a 4-1 advantage in game three before Western could recover. The game seesawed back-and-forth with the Catamounts taking a lead they would not relinquish on a Thaut kill followed by a Rosvold attack error, giving Western a 15-14 lead. UNC Greensboro rallied, pulling to within one at 24-25, prompting a WCU time-out. Following the stoppage, the Cats finished off the match with a pair of kills and a trio of Spartan errors.
WCU freshman Danielle Spitzer recorded seven kills while committing a single error for an attack percentage of .500 through the three-game match. Stefanie Peters added six kills and six digs in the win, while Talbot led a strong serving effort for the Cats with three service aces to accompany her team-high nine digs. The Catamounts finished with a total of seven aces on the afternoon.
For UNC Greensboro, junior Lauren Richards tallied seven kills, with VanDervoort finishing with five kills and two solo blocks.
Western Carolina hits the road for their next pair of matches, first visiting rival Appalachian State on Tuesday, October 5. The road swing continues as the Cats travel to South Carolina to battle the College of Charleston Cougars on Friday, October 8, both in Southern Conference action. UNC Greensboro returns home to host Wofford on Wednesday, October 6.
