Oct. 30, 2005

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Junior Heather Koontz recorded a career-high 20 kills as three Catamounts had career days as Western Carolina snapped a four-game losing skid, knocking off The Citadel in five, 3-2 (28-30, 30-13, 25-30, 30-19, 15-10) Sunday afternoon in the Ramsey Center.

Western improved to 7-20 overall, 6-9 in the Southern Conference, while The Citadel dropped to 3-24 on the season, winless in 14 attempts in league play.

The Catamounts were paced by Koontz' seventh double-double of the season, which included her career-best 20 kills and 14 digs. She hit a sizzling .529, committing just two errors, while adding four assists, three service aces, and a solo block. Her classmate, Krista Neumann, also had a career day in the win as the Downers Grove, Ill., native tallied her fourth double-double of the year, recording 13 kills and a career-high 13 digs on the afternoon. She also dished out a career-best seven assists.

Sophomore Meredith Harmon ranked second on the team in kills, tallying 16 on a .308 attack percentage in the win, with senior Ellie Talbot registering 15 kills and 12 digs. Junior setter Meghan Boyle tallied a fourth WCU double-tilt, dishing out 50 assists and digging a career-high 20 while killing four. Libero classmate, Kate Willard, added 14 digs defensively for the Catamounts.

After dropping a nip-and-tuck game one, 30-28, the Catamounts dominated nearly every facet of the game to knot the match at one apiece, winning the second game, 30-19. Western hit a team match-high .364 while limiting the Bulldogs to a -.034 attack percentage in game two, using a 7-1 run to open play and a 7-0 spurt to stretch the advantage to 11, 15-to-4. Western would finish off the game by scoring six of the final 10 points.

Game three was another tight affair until the Bulldogs rattled off seven-consecutive points, two on service aces by freshman Emily Hill, to break open the 10-9 game to 17-to-9. The Catamounts would close to within four points, 28-24, but The Citadel reclaimed the match lead, 2-1, with the 30-25 win. The `Dogs hit a match-high .469 in the win.

Nearly true to form, game four was painted purple and gold as Western hit above .300 for the third-consecutive game as a team to force the decisive fifth game. The Catamounts put together an 15-to-4 run to pull ahead, 22-10, and held on for the tying win, 30-19.

In the fifth, Western Carolina raced to a 5-1 lead and would never look back. The Citadel scored four-consecutive points to close to within three, 13-10, but Western tallied the final two points to win the game, 15-10, and the match, 3-2.

The Bulldogs were led by freshman Rachel Sanders with a match-high 22 kills and 15 digs for the lone double-double performance for The Citadel. Her classmate, Hill, just missed the double-dip with 49 assists and nine digs, adding three service aces. Seniors Marina Daniel and Stefanie Farris each reached double figures in kills, finishing with 12 and 12, respectively.

The Catamounts are idle until traveling to Georgia Southern in a week, battling the Eagles next Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2:00 pm in Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Ga., the site of the 2005 Southern Conference Volleyball Championships. The Citadel steps out of conference play for a Wednesday night match with South Carolina State at the McAlister Field House in Charleston, S.C.