Sept. 27, 2005
Final Stats
Cullowhee, N.C. -
Behind the career night of senior Ellie Talbot, the Western Carolina Catamount volleyball team raced to a 2-0 lead and held on for the five-game victory, 3-2 (30-23, 30-28, 24-30, 31-33, 15-11) over the Chattanooga Mocs Tuesday night in the Ramsey Center.
The win, which was Western's third-consecutive over the Lady Mocs, evened the Catamounts mark in the Southern Conference at 2-2 and was the team's third victory on the season. Chattanooga dropped its first conference match, falling to 2-1 in league play, 7-8 overall. WCU has also taken 10 of the last 11 meetings with UTC.
"I'm simply exhausted," said first-year head coach Stephanie Dragan after the five-game victory. "This was the best that we've played all year. Many teams don't take losing in five games as a learning experience, but we took dropping the Davidson match in five to heart and capitalized on that tonight."
Talbot led five Catamounts with double-figure kills as the offensive slump Western had found itself in over the past several matches seemed to vanish. The Evanston, Il., native killed 17 in the win, improving on her previous career high of 15 which she had hit four times this season entering the match. She finished off the double-double with 21 digs, adding three assists and three block assists.
All told, five Cats recorded double-doubles. Joining Talbot at 17 kills was junior Heather Koontz, who added a career-high 23 digs. Koontz' classmate, Krista Neumann, tallied 11 kills and digs with three service aces, and setter Meghan Boyle dished out 56 assists to go along with her 17 digs on the night.
Sophomore Danielle Spitzer had the most success hitting the ball, finishing with a .310 attack percentage with 12 kills and four total blocks. Her classmate, Meredith Harmon, led the team with six total blocks, including two solo swats to set a career-high, adding 11 kills for an impressive night at the net.
"I am so proud of the way our team played. They showed mental toughness and the fitness we've been striving for all season paid off tonight as we were able to hang in there," Dragan added.
Hitting .327 as a team in game one, Western broke open the nip-and-tuck battle, surging ahead out of a 16-16 tie with five consecutive points behind the serve of Talbot. The Catamounts nursed the lead to the victory, and the early 1-0 advantage.
Chattanooga rallied in game two, out hitting the Cats all told, but Western managed to eek out the 30-28 win and take the commanding, 2-0, lead. WCU used four Neumann kills and six from Spitzer to edge the Lady Mocs.
But the Lady Mocs would not go quietly into the night, rallying in games three and four to force the deciding fifth. Chattanooga was strong in game three, feeding off the emotion of head coach Lisa Rhodes to take the 30-24 win. Then, in the fourth game, the Lady Mocs used an early advantage to space themselves from the Catamounts before a furious rally made things exciting. Trailing 7-2, the Cats scored six of the next seven points to tie things up at eight. But Chattanooga kept Western at bay, allowing the Cats to tie but never lead. The see-saw battle was closed out by back-to-back kills by UTC's Kelly Ramsay and Lindsey Galloway.
In the fifth frame, Western turned the fortunes a bit against what happened to them three days prior against Davidson. This time in the shortened game five, the Catamounts took the early advantage then held off the Mocs for the win. Western took an early 3-0 lead then expanded it to 7-3 only to see Chattanooga chip away, closing to within one, 9-to-8. But Western used two Koontz kills and took advantage of Moc errors to claim the victory.
The Lady Mocs placed five in double-figures, led by the 19 kills of Julianna Martinez, who hit .400 for the match. Lara Newberry came up with 39 digs for UTC, while Galloway dug 27 to accompany her 17 kills. Junior Amanda Durfee, who only saw action in four of the five games, recorded 24 digs, missing the double-double by one kill (9).
Chattanooga returns to action this Saturday, Oct. 1, as it visits The Citadel. Western Carolina also ventures to Charleston, battling the College of Charleston on Saturday and The Citadel on Sunday, both matches at 2:00 pm.
