Oct. 15, 2008

Box Score |   

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina volleyball (4-17, 2-6 SoCon) closed out its three-match home stand with a 3-1 (25-22, 27-25, 21-25, 25-20) victory over Southern Conference rival Appalachian State (4-17, 0-7 SoCon) Wednesday in the Ramsey Center.

The win over Appalachian State halts a nine-match losing streak to the Mountaineers that dates back to 2002. The Catamounts also end a five-match losing streak in the conference while ASU is still looking for a SoCon victory this season.

Junior Amanda Kerr and freshman Brittany Lysik lit up the Mountaineers for double figure kills and Lysik also logged a double-double. Kerr notched the second most kills of the season with 19 and Lysik's double-double consisted of 11 kills and 13 digs.

"I was so glad to see the quality of play from Amanda and Brittany," said Head Coach Stephanie Dragan. "Amanda, I think, did a great job on the outside playing with a fast tempo to the ball."

After winning match one and two, Western Carolina had trouble putting the pesky Mountaineers away. The Catamounts got down early, 7-14, and could never recover.

In game four, Appalachian State opened up a 6-2 advantage but Western Carolina went on a 6-2 run to tie the match at eight. The run was highlighted by a service ace by Liz Rondone and a big kill by Kerr. The fourth game would be tied four more times before the Catamounts took a one point lead, 16-15, off a kill by Rebecca Stoltz. Western Carolina never trailed again and took the game and the match thanks to a kill by Lysik.

The Catamounts had eight service aces in the match including a pair by Katie Hennessey and Lysik. Hennessey also had 45 assists and 17 digs in the contest for a double-double.

"Katie deserves a lot of credit in the match," Dragan said. "She distributed the ball evenly to both sides and created the opportunities we needed."

Western Carolina will returns to action Saturday on the road at Wofford. Match time is set for 7 p.m.