Oct. 10, 2006

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - - Behind the double-double performances of junior Katie Pierucci and senior setter Jenna Dykstra, the Davidson Wildcats handed Western Carolina its third-consecutive loss, 3-1 (30-27, 30-22, 28-30, 30-24) Tuesday night in Southern Conference volleyball action at the Ramsey Center.

Pierucci finished with a match-high 22 kills and 14 digs while Dykstra passed out 52 assists and tallied 16 digs.

Western countered with one player in double figures as junior Meredith Harmon recorded 16 kills with just two errors for a team-high .400 attack percentage. Seniors Meghan Boyle and Heather Koontz, as well as freshman Brittny Johnson, all just missed double-digits finishing with nine kills apiece. Johnson just missed the double-double adding nine blocks, including two solo stops, as the Catamounts out blocked Davidson as a team, 12-to-3. Boyle added a dozen digs with Koontz doing one better, tallying the baker's dozen with 13.

Freshman setter Katie Hennessey posted the only double-double on the night for the Catamounts, passing out 44 assists and coming up with 12 digs while adding five kills. Another rookie, Amanda Kerr, recorded seven kills on the night on a career-high hitting percentage, committing just one error on 18 total attacks for .333. Their classmate, libero Liz Rondone, finished with 24 digs in the loss.

"Hats off to Davidson - they played phenomenal defense tonight, refusing to let the ball hit the floor. We had some opportunities but made a few mistakes here and there that began to mount and proved to be the difference makers," said head coach Stephanie Dragan. "I am proud of the way the team fought, though, rallying from down two and fighting in game four. I felt that (Amanda) Kerr came off the bench and gave us the spark we needed in game three and Meredith (Harmon) hit the ball extremely well tonight."

Western fell in a 2-0 hole before battling back to edge the Wildcats, 30-28, in a game three that was tied 12 times and saw the lead swapping hands seven times. The Catamounts (5-19, 1-7 SoCon) went back-and-forth with Davidson in game four, rallying from down 10-to-7 to score four-consecutive points to go ahead, 11-to-10 and force a timeout. However, after tying the match at 14, WCU could never pull closer than one, 22-21, and were outscored 8-to-3 to end things, 30-24.

Joining the Wildcats' Pierucci in double-digits was sophomore Kittery Neale with 16 kills on a .406 attack percentage. Defensively for Davidson (11-10, 4-3 SoCon), libero Courtney Cron finished with 23 digs, while senior Lisa Cuellar had 15 and junior Lindsay Woeste recorded 14.

Western now embarks on a five-match road swing, visiting Wofford and Furman this weekend in the South Carolina upstate. The Catamounts face the Wofford Terriers in Spartanburg this Saturday at 2:00 pm before visiting the Furman Lady Paladins at 2:00 pm on Sunday afternoon.