DAVIDSON, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball dropped a pair of matches at the Wildcat Classic on Saturday, losing to both UNC Asheville and tournament host Davidson by a pair of 3-1 decisions.
UNC Asheville 3, Western Carolina 1 (23-25, 25-14, 20-25, 15-25)
Merry Gebel led WCU with a team-best 14 kills while
Julia Gardon and
MaKenzie White each totaled seven. In her collegiate debut,
Sarah Janourova tallied a double-double with 18 assists and 16 digs.
Sydney Carlson dished out a team-best 22 assists.
Peyton McClinton led UNC Asheville with a match-high 18 kills followed by Lexy Cole with 12 and Molly Hackett with 10. Anna Skyrd led four Bulldogs in double figure digs with 17.
After a close battle early in the first set, the Bulldogs dashed out to a 16-9 advantage. The Catamounts battled back, pulling within a point as a Bulldog error made the score 19-18. A
Bailey Hartsough kill tied the set at 22 before UNC Asheville tallied three of the next four points to take the set.
WCU opened the second set on a 7-2 run and enjoyed a 13-4 advantage following a Dorsey ace. The Catamounts led by as many as 13 points as they cruised to a 25-14 win to take the set. WCU hit .464 in the frame with three aces and five blocks.
A tightly contested third set featured seven ties and four lead changes. After neither team led by more than three points in the early stages of the set, UNC Asheville closed the set on a 5-2 run for a 25-20 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Bulldogs broke a 7-7 tie in the fourth set with a 10-1 run. WCU pulled within six on three occasions but would get no closer down the stretch.
Davidson 3, Western Carolina 1 (27-29, 25-23, 25-17, 25-23)
Bailey Hartsough tallied a career-best 15 kills while
Merry Gebel logged her first double-double of the season with 14 kills and 12 digs. Defensively,
Johnna Robinson tied a career high with nine total blocks (three solo, six block assists).
Sarah Janourova and
Sydney Carlson both surpassed the 20-assist mark with 26 and 23, respectively.
Hattie Rodriguez led Davidson with 18 kills and just missed a double-double with nine digs. Malia Kay recorded 14 kills followed by Sola Omonije with 12. Bella Brady was credited with a match-best 34 digs.
The Wildcats claimed a 12-6 lead in the opening set before a Gebel kill evened the score at 14. Consecutive kills by Kay gave the hosts a 21-17 lead before a Davidson error evened the score at 22. A pair of
Haley Multerer kills fended off set point for Davidson and a Robinson kill knotted the frame at 26. The Catamounts had set point after a Wildcat error, 27-26, but kills by Isabella Perry and Anela Davis followed by a block by Davis and Lauren Albold gave the Wildcats a 29-27 opening set win.
Davidson held a 14-10 lead in the second set before a 6-2 Catamount run evened the score at 16. The teams had three additional ties with the final one coming as an Omonije kill tied the set at 23. Gebel gave WCU set point before Robinson and Carlson teamed up for a block that clinched the second set and evened the match.
With the third set tied at 13, Davidson took control of the set thanks to a 7-1 run. WCU got no closer than four points for the remainder of the set.
The Wildcats held a 19-15 lead in the fourth set before a 5-0 Catamount run put the visitors ahead 20-19. Davidson answered with a 3-0 run for a 22-20 lead. The Catamounts pulled within a point on three occasions down the stretch before an error ended the match.
WCU heads west to the GCU Invitational hosted by Grand Canyon University in Phoenix next weekend. The Catamounts face the host Lopes on Friday at 10 p.m. followed by a pair of Saturday matches against Rider at 1 p.m. and Villanova at 7 p.m.
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