RICHMOND, Ky. – Western Carolina volleyball split a pair of matches at the Colonel Challenge on Friday, earning a 3-2 win over Western Illinois in a morning match and dropping a 3-0 decision to New Mexico State in an afternoon contest at McBrayer Arena on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.

WCU is 3-4 following the day's action.

Western Carolina 3, Western Illinois 2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-9)

Merry Gebel led the Catamounts with a season-high 22 kills and added five digs. Livi Weidmann had a career-high 15 kills followed by Johnna Robinson with 10 kills. Robinson also had a match-best six total blocks. Sydney Carlson distributed a career-best 47 assists while Destinee Dorsey was credited with 28 digs.

Kennedy Davis paced three WIU players in double-figure kills with 20 followed by Peyton Bowman with 17 and Emma Norris with 12. Jessie Connell had 51 assists. Erika Moore had 21 digs followed by Jessie Connell with 16 and Ashley Poland with 10.

A Davis kill gave the Leathernecks an 8-3 lead in the opening set before a Gebel kill brought WCU within one, 10-9. With WIU holding a 15-11 lead, the Catamounts used a 7-2 run and took their first lead of the match on a WIU error. Tied at 23, a WIU service error gave the Catamounts set point before a block by Robinson and Weidmann gave the opening set to WCU.

Western Illinois raced out to an 8-2 lead in the opening set before the Catamounts scored nine of the next 11 points, taking an 11-10 lead following a Robinson kill. A Gebel kill put WCU ahead 14-11 before the Leathernecks took control of the set by scoring nine of the next 10 points for a 20-15 lead. The Catamounts got no closer than four points the rest of the way as WIU tied the match at one set apiece.

After an Aubrey Putnam kill gave WIU a 9-5 lead, the Catamounts clawed their way within two, 11-9, thanks to a Robinson block. The Leathernecks led 15-11 at the middle stages of the set before a 7-1 WCU run gave the Catamounts an 18-16 lead. WIU answered with three straight points for a 19-18 lead before the Catamounts tallied four straight points to take control of the set. A Dorsey service ace closed out the set to give WCU a 2-1 lead in the match. The Catamounts had a .519 hitting percentage in the set.

WCU took an early 3-1 lead before WIU claimed a 10-7 advantage on a Davis kill. Tied at 13 in the fourth set, the Leathernecks went on a 5-0 run for an 18-13 advantage. The Catamounts pulled within three points on two different occasions but would get no closer as WIU closed out the set with a Brittany Wulf kill.

The Catamounts opened the fifth set on a 4-0 run and led 6-2 after a WIU error. The Leathernecks fought back, pulling within two points, 9-7, on a Davis kill but the Catamounts responded with four straight points for a 13-7 lead. Consecutive kills by Gebel and Robinson closed out the match.

For the match, WCU hit a season-best .307.

New Mexico State 3, Western Carolina 0 (16-25, 17-25, 16-25)

Bailey Hartsough and Merry Gebel both tallied seven kills to lead the Catamount offense. Destinee Dorsey logged 14 digs while Sydney Carlson distributed 15 assists.
Shaney Lipscomb led New Mexico State with 11 kills. Victoria Barrett narrowly missed a double-double with nine kills and eight digs.

WCU opened the match on a 5-2 run. The Aggies erased a 6-4 deficit with six straight points and led the rest of the match by no fewer than four points.

The second set featured two lead changes and eight ties. With the teams tied at 13, New Mexico State tallied three straight points for a 16-13 advantage. After a Johnna Robinson kill brought the Catamounts within two, the Aggies scored four of the next five points and went on to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

New Mexico State opened the third set on a 9-4 run and closed out the match with a Lipscomb kill.

WCU concludes the tournament against host Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m. Live stats will be available via a link on catamountsports.com. The match will also be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).

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