PHOENIX – Western Carolina volleyball swept a pair of matches at the Grand Canyon Invitational on Saturday, edging Rider for a 3-2 win early in the day before an emphatic 3-0 win over Villanova in the squad's nightcap.
WCU improves to 2-3 on the season with the pair of victories.
Western Carolina 3, Rider 2 (23-25, 25-23, 27-29, 25-14, 15-11)
Johnna Robinson and
MaKenzie White powered the Catamount offense with 12 kills apiece in the five-set victory. Robinson added nine total blocks (four solo and five block assists) in an all-around solid performance.
Merry Gebel posted a double-double with 11 kills & 18 digs while
Destinee Dorsey had a team-best 19 digs defensively. Setter
Sydney Carlson dished out 31 assists.
Morgan Romano led three Broncos in double-figure kills with 18 followed by Tori Schrader with 12 and Jenna Amaro with 10.
A block by Koch gave Rider an early 10-5 lead in the first set before an
Ollie Henderson ace evened the frame at 12. The Catamounts took a 17-13 lead after a kill by Gebel, but Rider fought back to even the frame at 18. The teams had five ties down the stretch before a Romano kill and a block by Morgan Koch and Romano gave Rider a 25-23 opening set win. The opening set featured 11 ties and five lead changes.
Trailing 23-22 in the second set, a Robinson kill evened the score before consecutive Bronco errors allowed the Catamounts to take the set and even the match.
With Rider leading the third set 5-4, WCU tallied five straight points for a 9-5 advantage. Rider battled back, tying the set at 18 after an Anilee Sher block. Rider led 23-20, but WCU extended the set thanks to a block by Gebel and Robinson. Rider broke a 27-all tie with a pair of blocks to take a 2-1 lead.
Holding an 11-9 edge in the fourth set, the Catamounts went on a 10-5 run for a 21-14 advantage after a
Julia Gardon kill. WCU was not challenged for the remainder of the set, which ended on a Rider error to force the fifth.
Tied at four in the deciding fifth set, the Catamounts scored four straight points for an 8-4 lead. The Broncos trimmed the WCU advantage to two, 8-6, before four straight Catamount points allowed WCU to gain control of the set and close out the match for the first win of the 2021 season.
Western Carolina 3, Villanova 0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-22)
Merry Gebel logged her second double-double of the day with a match-best 14 kills and 10 digs.
Sydney Carlson tallied her second 30-plus assist match of the day with 32, while
Destinee Dorsey was credited with 16 digs followed by
Bridgette Merrill with a career-high 11.
Riley Homer led Villanova with 13 kills. Clare Delaplane just missed a double-double with nine kills and 12 digs. Averi Salvador had a match-best 17 digs.
Holding a 7-6 lead in the opening set, the Catamounts scored six straight points for a 13-6 advantage. WCU was able to maintain a lead between four and eight points the rest of the way as a Wildcat error closed out the first set.
The Catamounts dashed out to a 6-1 advantage in the second set and stretched it to a set-best 11 points, 15-4, following a Gebel kill. Villanova would get no closer than eight points the rest of the way.
WCU pulled ahead 8-3 in the third set following a Villanova error. The Catamounts led 16-11 only to see the Wildcats tally three straight points to pull within one, 17-16. WCU answered with a 4-1 spurt as a Dorsey service ace put WCU ahead 21-17. The Wildcats made a final charge as two consecutive Booth kills made the score 23-22. WCU closed out the match with kills by Gebel and Robinson.
The Catamounts head to Richmond, Ky. next weekend for the Colonel Challenge hosted by Eastern Kentucky. WCU opens tournament action on Friday at 10 a.m. against Western Illinois and closes out the day against New Mexico State at 4 p.m. The Catamounts and Colonels conclude the tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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