BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – Sophomore Julia Gardon and senior Merry Gebel both recorded double-doubles as Western Carolina dropped a 3-1 Southern Conference match at the Pete Hana Center on Friday night. Samford won the match by scores of 25-14, 25-23, 22-25, and 29-27.
 
Samford improves to 5-17 overall and 4-7 in league matches while WCU drops to 10-12 and 6-5.
 
Gebel recorded her team-leading 13^th double-double of the season with 13 kills and a team-best 16 digs. Gardon logged her second double-double of the year with 12 kills and 13 digs. Freshman Bailey Hartsough also finished in double figures with 11 kills. Senior setter Sydney Carlson distributed a team-best 36 assists. Sophomore Eden Punch swatted a team-best four blocks. 
 
Kenya McQuirter paced Samford with 20 kills followed by Lauren Deaton with 15. Kayla Keshock dished out a match-best 50 assists.
 
Samford pulled out to an 8-3 lead in the opening set and led by no fewer than four points for the remainder of the frame to claim an early 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The Bulldogs opened the second set on a 7-0 run before the Catamounts answered with an 8-1 run capped by a Samford error to even the score. Samford responded with a 5-0 run to lead 13-8 before a Punch kill brought WCU within two, 15-13. After a Deaton kill gave the hosts a 23-18 lead, the Catamounts used a 5-1 run to pull within a point, 24-23, following a kill by Sarah Janouorva. The set ended on a Deaton kill.
 
Trailing 8-6 in the third set, the Catamounts went on a 5-1 run as a Gebel kill gave WCU an 11-9 lead. Tied at 14, the Catamounts scored six of the next eight points as a Janourova kill put WCU ahead 20-16. Following consecutive McQuirter kills that brought Samford within two, 23-21, a Hartsough kill gave the Catamounts set point and following a McQuirter kill, a serving error clinched the set for WCU.
 
WCU claimed a 3-1 lead early in the fourth set before Samford used a 3-0 run to claim a 10-8 advantage. With the Catamounts leading 14-12, Samford went on a 7-2 run as a Kate Morgan ace gave the hosts a 19-16 lead. With Samford leading 23-20, the Catamounts tallied a pair of kills by Gardon and Carlson to even the set. WCU fought off match point four times before a Catamount error and a McQuirter kill ended the match.
 
WCU has a short turnaround, visiting Mercer on Saturday for a 3 p.m. first serve.
 
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