CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Senior Merry Gebel posted her 12^th double-double of the season as Western Carolina dropped a hard-fought 3-1 Southern Conference match to ETSU on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on Friday night. ETSU won by scores of 25-19, 17-25, 25-22, and 27-25.

ETSU improves to 9-11 overall and 5-4 in league matches while the Catamounts fall to 10-11 and 6-4.

In addition to Gebel, freshman Bailey Hartsough finished in double figures offensively for the fifth straight match with 10 kills. Sophomore Destinee Dorsey logged a match-best 24 digs. Classmate Julia Gardon also finished in double figures with 11 digs. Senior Sydney Carlson distributed a team-best 27 assists followed by freshman Sarah Janourova with 20. Junior Johnna Robinson and sophomore Livi Weidmann both recorded three blocks.

Josannah Vazquez led the Bucs offensively with 22 kills followed by Sara Esposito with 15 and Lundyn Coffman with 11. Caroline Dykes recorded a double-double thanks to a match-best 49 assists along with 20 digs. Taylor Roberts led ETSU with 21 digs.

ETSU opened the match on a 4-1 run before the Catamounts knotted the score on a Dorsey service ace. The Bucs took the next two points and pushed their lead to 15-11 at the media timeout following an Esposito kill. WCU pulled within three, 17-14, on a Hartsough kill but would get no closer as Coffman closed out the set with an ace.

After ETSU scored the first two points of the second set, the Catamounts used a 10-3 spurt for a 10-5 advantage as ETSU used a timeout. The Bucs pulled within a point on four occasions before a Gebel kill and an ace gave the hosts a 15-12 lead. After an Asia Mattress kill brought the visitors within one, 16-15, the Catamounts went on a 4-1 run. Leading 20-17, WCU closed out the set on a 5-0 run to even the match.

A tightly contested third set featured three lead changes and nine ties. Following a Robinson block which gave WCU a 20-19 lead, the Bucs tallied three straight points for a 22-20 lead. An error brought the hosts within one before ETSU got kills from Espositio and Samantha Shafer to earn set point. A MaKenzie White kill kept the set alive for WCU before Shafer ended the frame with a kill.

Tied at 19 in the fourth set, ETSU tallied four of the next five points for a 24-20 advantage. WCU battled back as a Gebel kill sparked a 5-0 run capped by an emphatic kill by Robinson for a 25-24 edge. Following a timeout, Coffman evened the set with a kill before a block by Coffman and Esposito followed by Esposito kill ended the match.

WCU is off until Oct. 29 when the Catamounts venture to Samford for an 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central contest.

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