LYNCHBURG, Va. – Fifth-year senior Merry Gebel posted 13 kills and junior Livi Weidmann added 12 as Western Carolina swept Toledo in the second round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Liberty Arena. The Catamounts won by scores of 25-14, 30-28, and 25-22.
 
WCU improves to 20-12 overall and will host Southern Miss (20-11) in the NIVC quarterfinals on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. in the Ramsey Center. Toledo ends its season at 19-13
 
Gebel finished in double figures offensively for the 24^th time this season. Weidmann's 12 kills come on the heels of a team-best 11 kills on Saturday. Fifth-year senior Sydney Carlson logged a double-double with 19 assists and 14 digs. Junior Destinee Dorsey added 11 digs. Senior Johnna Robinson swatted a team-best seven blocks followed by Weidmann with six. The Catamount offense hit .336 for the match.
 
Taylor Alt paced Toledo with a match-best 16 kills followed by Jada Bouyer with 11. Mary Kate Lopez had a match-high 38 assists.
 
The Catamounts got off to a fast start in the first set, grabbing an 8-1 lead following a Weidmann kill. Toledo fought back, pulling to within three as a Sinalauli'I Uluave kill cut the Catamount lead to 14-11. After a Vance kill made the score 18-14 in favor of WCU, the Catamounts went on a 7-0 run to close out the set and clinched the frame as a result of a Toledo error.
 
With Toledo holding a 14-12 lead in set number two, the Catamounts tallied three straight points to lead 15-14 at the media timeout. A Gebel kill put WCU ahead 21-18, but the Rockets took advantage of a Catamount error to even the frame at 24. The teams continued to trade points and were tied at 28 before a Gebel kill put WCU ahead 29-28 followed by a Toledo error to clinch the set and a 2-0 lead.
 
WCU gained a 20-18 lead in a tightly contested third set thanks to a Toledo error. The Rockets answered with three straight points, grabbing a 21-20 advantage thanks to a Bouyer kill. The Catamounts tallied the next two points before a Bouyer kill evened the set at 22. A Gebel kill put WCU ahead for good as the match ended thanks to consecutive Toledo errors.
 
Additional tournament information is available online at https://www.womensnivc.com.
 
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