Oct. 29, 2011

Final Stats

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - After trading sets with the Phoenix (16-11, 4-7 SoCon) throughout the match, Western Carolina (11-16, 6-5 SoCon) went on a 3-0 run to take the deciding fifth set - topped off by a kill by freshman Addy George - from the Phoenix, 15-13, at the Ramsey Center Saturday afternoon. The match, which represented the Dig Pink match for WCU, was the sixth SoCon win for the Catamounts. Western Carolina has not won six league matches since the 2005 team won seven.

The Catamounts were led offensively by senior Rebecca Stoltz. Stoltz set a new career-high with 15 kills in the winning effort. She also added four blocks, three digs and two assists. The freshmen pair of Caitlin Piechota and Jordan Timmermann picked up their eighth and fifth double-doubles of the season. Both were second on the team in kills for the match with 12 apiece while Piechota picked up 14 digs to go along with Timmermann's 12.

After a Phoenix attack error tied the first set at six, the Catamounts would not trail again in the first set, with WCU ending the set with its largest lead of four. Piechota led the Catamounts in kills in the first set, picking up five of her 12 kills in the first set to go along with six digs. Morgan Cochran tallied seven of her game-high 22 digs in the first period. The Purple and Gold won the set 25-21. Elon bounced back in the second behind solid play from Caroline Lemke who had five kills in the set. Celia Eddy and Allison Johnson both added four kills apiece for the Phoenix. After Elon called a timeout with a Carrie Minogue service ace tying the match at 10, Lemke would pick up a kill to give Elon a short-lived lead. Rebecca Stoltz delivered an equalizer off of a Brittany Lysik set. An Eddy kill to put the Phoenix up 14-13 would give Elon a lead that would last the remainder of the set as the Phoenix won the second set 25-22 with both teams in possession of a set going into the intermission.

Western Carolina wasted no time in snatching the momentum back from Elon in the third. The Catamounts jumped out to a 9-2 lead due to a 5-0 run behind the serve of Abbey Scroggins. Southern Pines, N.C., native Addy George picked up her first kill of the match to spark another run by the Cats. Two Phoenix runs brought Elon within three of a 17-14 WCU lead. An Elon error off of a McMahon serve would swing the momentum back to WCU's favor. Rebecca Stoltz put away the third set with a kill off of a Lysik dish. Lysik finished the match with 41 assists, one short of her career high.

Elon responded again in the fourth set, jumping out to a 7-0 lead behind the serve of Ali Deatsch. Deatsch notched two of her three third set aces during the run. Elon went on to win the set 25-18, setting up the deciding fifth set.

Brittany Lysik put WCU on the scoreboard first with an ace, one of her two for the match, before an Elon attack error gave the Purple and Gold a 2-0 lead. Elon would come right back with a kill and a point off of a WCU error to tie the set. Two consecutive Phoenix kills would prompt a Karen Glover timeout with Elon lead 5-2. Elon would add another point before Western Carolina would side out thanks to an Elon attack error. Piechota, serving, would bring the Cats within two thanks to another Elon attack error and a George kill. With WCU down 12-13, an Elon attack error would even the match at 13. Two consecutive kills, from classmates PIechota and George, would give WCU the win. The last kill by Addy George was her career-high fourth kill of the night.

"I was proud of how the girls regrouped and came out in the fifth set," said head coach Karen Glover.

"They really played as a team when it counted. Addy [George] did a great job coming off the bench and making an impact for us in the fifth set."

Western Carolina will return to action tomorrow afternoon against UNC Greensboro in the second of a four-match homestand for the Catamounts with play beginning at 3 p.m. at the Ramsey Center. WCU defeated UNCG in its first match, 3-0.