CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Looking to make a push to remain in the top third of the Southern Conference standings ahead of the rapidly approaching conference tournament, Western Carolina volleyball opens the final week of the 2022 regular season on Wednesday as the Catamounts host in-state Southern Conference foe UNCG on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center at 6 p.m.
 
Admission to all volleyball matches is free of charge with the entrance to the Ramsey Center located on the ground level near the truck tunnel which is adorned by the WCU logo. Wednesday's match has also been billed as a "Back the Cats" night for WCU's student-athletes. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with free live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
 
WCU is 16-10 overall and 9-5 in SoCon play after a pair of 3-1 road losses to ETSU and Chattanooga last weekend. Fifth-year senior Merry Gebel and sophomore Bailey Hartsough both recorded double-doubles in Friday's match with Gebel at league-leading ETSU, with classmate Sydney Carlson and freshman Ali Morris also accomplishing the feat on Saturday in Chattanooga.
 
Gebel continues to rank fifth in the SoCon in kills (3.40 k/set) while libero Destinee Dorsey and middle blocker Eden Punch lead defensively – Dorsey is fourth in digs at 4.25 per set with Punch ranking third in blocks (1.02 blk/set). Two Catamounts – Hartsough and Sarah Janourova – are just inside the conference's Top 10 in serving with .33 and .32 aces per set, respectively.
 
UNCG is 10-17 overall and 4-10 in league matches after a 3-0 setback at Chattanooga on Friday and a 3-1 loss at ETSU on Saturday. The Spartans are tied for seventh in the league standings with The Citadel (4-10). Ella Voegele is third in the league with 4.41 digs per set while Gabriela McHugh checks in at fourth in assists per set with 8.85. 
 
Wednesday's match is the 60^th all-time meeting with WCU leading the series 32-27. The Catamounts earned a 3-0 win in Greensboro in the first meeting this year back on Oct. 12 and would sweep the season series with a win Wednesday for the fourth time in five years.
 
The Catamounts welcome Furman (6-18, 2-12 SoCon) to Cullowhee on Saturday at 6 p.m. for the regular-season and home finale. WCU will also honor its seniors in a special pre-match ceremony.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount volleyball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts, @catamountvb), and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountvb).