JOHNSON CITY, TENN. – Sophomore Bailey Hartsough and fifth-year senior Merry Gebel both recorded double-doubles, but Western Carolina dropped a 3-1 decision to ETSU in Southern Conference volleyball action on Friday night inside Brooks Gym. The Bucs won the match by scores of 27-25, 25-23, 14-25, and 20-25.

ETSU improves to 18-7 overall and 12-1 in league matches while securing a share of the regular season title. WCU drops to 16-9 and 9-4.

Hartsough posted her seventh double-double of the year with a team-best 14 kills and 10 digs. Gebel recorded her fourth straight, 10^th of the season, and 65^th career double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs. Fifth-year senior Sydney Carlson dished out 22 assists. Junior Destinee Dorsey, the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week, tallied a match-best 22 digs. Senior Johnna Robinson swatted a team-best seven blocks with junior Livi Weidmann adding six.

Kimani Johnson paced the ETSU offense with 11 kills followed by Abbey Thomas with 10. Carolina Dykes recorded a match-best 39 assists while Haley Sanders had a team-high 19 digs.

ETSU opened the match on a 7-1 spurt and led 9-2 following a Cantrell kill. After a Lundyn Coffman kill gave the hosts a 13-5 advantage, a Harsough kill sparked a 10-0 run as the Catamounts grabbed a 15-13 advantage following an ETSU error. The Bucs answered with a 6-0 run of their own and led 19-15 after a Catamount error. With ETSU holding a 22-18 lead, the Catamounts tallied five of the next six points to even the frame at 23. Weidmann gave the Catamounts a 25-24 advantage before the Bucs scored three straight points to claim the first set.

An ETSU service error gave the Catamounts a 7-4 lead in the second set with the Bucs leading 15-14 at the media timeout. Tied at 21, consecutive kills by Brooklyn Poling and Hartsough put WCU ahead 23-21 before ETSU tallied four straight points to win the set. The second set featured seven lead changes and 11 ties.

Carlson's lone kill of the match gave the Catamounts an 8-2 lead early in the third set. After ETSU trimmed the WCU advantage to 16-11, a Weidmann kill sparked a 6-1 run for a 22-12 lead. A Buc error closed out the frame as WCU cut the ETSU match lead to 2-1.

WCU tallied three of the first four points in the fourth set that saw the teams stay within three points of each other until a Brianna Cantrell kill gave the hosts a 16-12 lead. The Catamounts cut the ETSU lead to two points on four occasions, the last coming on a Poling kill that made the score 22-20. The Bucs closed the match on a 3-0 spurt to claim the win.

The Catamounts play their final road match of the season on Saturday, venturing to Chattanooga for a 4 p.m. first serve.

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