CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball faces a stiff test this weekend as the Catamounts head to the NC State Classic on Thursday and Friday to face Indiana, TCU, and the host Wolfpack inside Reynolds Coliseum. Two of WCU's matches this week mark the first-ever on-court meetings.
 
Thursday's action begins at 11 a.m. against Indiana followed by a 4 p.m. contest against TCU. The tournament concludes Friday afternoon against NC State at 2 p.m. Admission for Thursday's matches is free of charge with admission to the NC State match Friday costing $7. Live stats for all three matches will be available on CatamountSports.com with Friday's match streamed on ACC Network Extra (paid subscription required).
 
Off to a 5-2 start through seven-consecutive road matches on the young season, the Catamounts have one win against a Power Five and ACC member this season, downing Wake Forest 3-2 at the Wake Forest Invitational back on Aug. 28. WCU leads the Southern Conference in kills with 13.72 per set and a .255 hitting percentage while ranking second in assists with 12.16 per set and blocks with 2.16 per set.
 
Indiana is 4-2 with wins over Indiana State, Chicago State, Sam Houston State, and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and losses to Jacksonville State and Southern Methodist. Mady Saris leads the team with 76 kills and ranks third in the Big 10 with 4.22 kills per set. The Hoosiers and Catamounts meet for the first time.
 
TCU is 1-4 with its lone win against Coastal Carolina and losses to No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 5 Minnesota, Memphis, and Texas A&M.  Julia Adams leads the team with 67 kills and 3.94 kills per set which is fourth-best in the Big 12. Thursday's match is also the first meeting between the schools.
 
Amidst a stretch of six-straight home matches, NC State is 4-2 with victories over Florida A&M, Sam Houston State, Colgate, and Elon along with losses to Kansas State and Tennessee. Priscilla Hernandez paces the Wolfpack and ranks fourth in the ACC with 4.41 digs per set. The two in-state foes last met in 2019 with Friday's match representing the sixth all-time series meeting.
 
The Catamounts close out the nonconference portion of their schedule next Thursday and Friday, again venturing to an ACC opponent at the Hokie Classic in Blacksburg, Va. WCU will face Appalachian State, Norfolk State, and host Virginia Tech.
 
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).