Sept. 26, 2007
Box Score
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Freshman outside hitter Ali Rook's career-high performance helped propel Western Carolina volleyball (7-12) to its first win against East Tennessee (10-8) since 2004. The Catamounts sunk the Bucs 3-1 (30-21, 30-22, 22-30, 30-27) Wednesday in the Ramsey Center.
Rook recorded the third double-double of her young career leading both teams with a career-tying 15 kills and also recorded a career-high 13 digs. The Naperville, Ill. native also recorded three block assists.
"Ali did an amazing job for us tonight," said Head Coach Stephanie Dragan. "She had amazing ups on the court and played some great defense."
Western Carolina controlled the match by being in control. The Catamounts took an early 2-0 lead in the match, heading into the locker room thanks to just seven total errors in two games. The club hit .226 in the first game and a scorching .464 in game two.
Game three began auspiciously. With the Catamounts standing on the court as the seconds ticked away to the end of halftime, the East Tennessee players were noticeably absent. The team was late arriving back on the court and received a red card by the referee and the Catamounts were awarded a point to start game three.
East Tennessee overcame the early deficit and forced a game four by winning game three 30-22. Tied at 10-10, a pair of service aces by the Bucs' Laura Waddell gave ETSU the lead and set them up for a 20-12 run to take game three.
Western Carolina bounced back and though the club hit just .103 in game four, the Catamounts forced ETSU to hit just .064 in the game to take the win.
Overall, Western Carolina hit .244 in the match and held East Tennessee to .111. The Catamounts had six service aces in the match and also recorded 12 total team blocks.
"East Tennessee is a tough opponent," Dragan said. "They didn't give us anything, we had to battle for every point."
Freshman Jelena Jakovjevic was the only other Catamount to record double figure kills with 14 and also had six digs. Senior Meredith Harmon recorded four solo blocks in the match. Sophomore Katie Hennessey notched her seventh double double in the last nine matches with 37 assists and 12 digs.
Western Carolina heads back out on the road Sunday to take on Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. in Statesboro, Ga.
