CHARLESTON, S.C – Freshman
Bailey Hartsough tallied a team-best 13 kills and senior
Merry Gebel recorded her 16
th double-double of the season as Western Carolina lost 3-1 at The Citadel on Friday. The Citadel won by scores of 25-18, 23-25, 25-12, and 25-19.
The Citadel improves 11-10 overall and 7-8 in the Southern Conference while Western Carolina drops to 11-16 and 7-9.
Hartsough finished in double figures offensively for the 12
th time this season. Gebel's double-double consisted of 10 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore
Destinee Dorsey had a team-best 19 digs while senior
Sydney Carlson dished out 19 assists.
Ali Ruffin led three Bulldogs in double figures offensively with 13 kills followed by Sharlissa de Jesus with 11 and Makaya Middleton with 10. Kenzie Kellerman led The Citadel with 19 digs while Belle Hogan dished out 35 assists.
Tied at 12 in the first set, a Middleton kill sparked a 4-0 Bulldog run as The Citadel extended its lead to 22-15 on a Gina Delancey kill. Hartsough brought WCU within six, 23-17, before a block and a kill by de Jesus ended the set.
WCU dashed out to a 5-2 lead in the second set before the Bulldogs tied the score at 11 on a de Jesus kill. With the Catamounts leading 19-18, a Bulldog error kicked off a 3-1 run for a 22-19 lead. After a Gebel kill gave WCU a 24-20 edge, the Bulldogs scored three straight points before a Gebel kill closed out the set and tied the match at 1.
The Citadel used an 11-2 run in the middle stages of the third set to claim a 2-1 lead in the match.
A Ruffin kill started a 6-1 run to give the Bulldogs an 11-6 lead in the fourth set. WCU battled back within two, 15-13, thanks to a Hartsough kill but would get no closer for the remainder of the match.
WCU will participate in the Southern Conference tournament on Nov. 19-21 in Birmingham, Ala. with the tournament bracket unveiled following Saturday's matches.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount volleyball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts, @catamountvb), and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountvb).
