Nov. 19, 2004
Cullowhee, N.C. -
Western Carolina battled Georgia Southern hard in the first game, but could not overcome errors and a red-hot Eagle offense, falling in the first round of the 2004 Southern Conference volleyball tournament, 3-0 (25-30, 17-30, 10-30).
Game one see-sawed back and forth affair, as the Eagles and Catamounts matched each other point for point early on, fighting to an 8-8 tie. The two squads continued to battle, as the score was deadlocked later at 21 all. However, momentum turned in the favor of the Eagles, who rallied for a 6-1 run to take the lead for good, winning game one 30-25.
The pivotal momentum swing experiences at the conclusion of game one carried over into the second game as the Eagles never trailed en route to the 30-17 victory. GSU built a 13-point lead and never looked back to go ahead two games to none. Western struggled offensively, being held to a match-low -.219 attack percentage.
After the break, the Catamounts appeared energized, taking a 3-2 lead in the third game. However, Georgia Southern turned the tide by scoring seven of the next eight points to lead 9-4. WCU kept it close, trailing by three at 11-8 before GSU put the match away by scoring 19 of the final 21 points.
The Catamounts were limited to a -.036 attack percentage in the match by Georgia Southern. Western had three players record four kills apiece to pace the struggling offense. A pair of freshmen in Melissa Parana and Meredith Harmon, and sophomore Heather Koontz all tallied four kills. Koontz' classmate Meghan Boyle dished out a team-high 12 assists, adding six assists defensively. Junior Ellie Talbot matched Boyle's output with six digs.
Senior Stefanie Peters, who along with classmate Layna Stoetzel appeared in their final collegiate matches, had three kills and a team-high eight digs in the loss. She also added two blocks, including a solo.
Western Carolina concludes the season 12-16 overall, exiting the tournament in the first round for the second consecutive year, both at the hands of Georgia Southern. The Eagles advance to face the north division's top seed, Appalachian State on Saturday at 2:00 in the Ramsey Center.
