CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Freshman Bailey Hartsough tied a career-high with 18 kills as Western Carolina hit a season-best .368 in a 3-0 triumph over Furman on Saturday night on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. WCU won by scores of 25-19, 25-11, and 25-16.
 
Western Carolina improves to 11-14 overall and 7-7 in league matches while Furman drops to 7-17 and 2-12. The Catamounts completed the season sweep of Furman for the second time in three years after beating the Paladins 3-0 in Greenville on Oct. 8.
 
In addition to Hartsough, senior Merry Gebel finished in double figures offensively with 10 kills. Junior Johnna Robinson recorded nine kills and a match-best seven blocks. Sophomore Destinee Dorsey tallied 10 digs while senior Sydney Carlson distributed a match-high 22 assists.
 
Bella Tolone led Furman with 11 kills and narrowly missed a double-double with eight digs. Sarah Turner tallied 15 assists while Andrea Aceveda totaled 17 digs.
 
Furman raced out to a 6-1 lead in the first set before a quartet of Hartsough kills evened the score at 9. Tied at 10, a Robinson kill kicked off a 5-2 spurt for a 15-12 WCU lead. Furman pulled within a point, 20-19, with a Kelsey Watkins kill before the Catamounts scored the last five points of the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
With a 6-3 advantage in the second set, the Catamounts went on a 9-0 run capped by a Hartsough kill for a 15-3 lead. The Catamounts led by as many as 15 points in the frame and hit .556 in the set to take a 2-0 lead.
 
WCU broke a 7-7 tie in the third set with a 7-1 run as a Furman error put the hosts up 14-8. Consecutive Watkins blocks brought Furman within four, 16-12, but the Catamounts took four of the next five points and pulled away down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
The Catamounts close out the 2021 season on the road, venturing to UNCG on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest followed by a 6 p.m. match on Friday at The Citadel to wrap-up the regular season.
 
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