CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Fifth-year senior Merry Gebel recorded a match-best 17 kills while sophomore Bailey Hartsough added 11 as Western Carolina swept Chattanooga on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center on Friday evening. The Catamounts won by scores of 25-20, 25-15, and 26-24.
 
WCU improves to 11-6 overall and 4-1 in league play while the Mocs fall to 7-12 and 2-3.
 
Gebel's 17-kill performance is the second straight match she's recorded 17 kills and her fifth consecutive double-digit kill output. Hartsough narrowly missed a double-double with 11 kills and nine digs. Junior Destinee Dorsey talked a team-best 18 digs while fifth-year senior Sydney Carlson distributed 22 assists.
 
Natalie Tyson led Chattanooga with 15 kills. Sophia Bossong had a double-double with 25 assists and 17 digs.
 
Tied at 10 in the opening set, WCU tallied six of the next seven points for a 16-11 advantage following a block by Livi Weidmann. Chattanooga trimmed the WCU lead to 20-18 following a Bossong kill, but a pair of Moc errors and a combined block by Weidmann and Johnna Robinson gave the Catamounts a five-point lead as Hartsough closed out the set with a kill.
 
After Chattanooga trimmed the WCU second set lead to 12-10, WCU extended its lead to 15-11 at the media timeout. Holding a 17-14 edge, the Catamounts scored eight of the next nine points and clinched the set on a Dorsey service ace to grab a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set saw three lead changes and 11 ties with neither team leading by more than three points. After a Catamount error gave the Mocs a 17-15 lead, WCU regrouped and tallied four straight points for a 19-17 advantage which prompted a Chattanooga timeout. The Mocs battled back, fending off two straight set points and tied the frame at 24 on a kill by Cassidy Couch. Couch's next serve went wide and WCU polished off the victory with a Hartsough block.
 
WCU remains at home Saturday, facing first place ETSU in a 6 p.m. showdown. Fans are encouraged to wear purple to the match as the team partners with the Center for Domestic Peace to spread awareness about domestic violence.
 
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