CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Following back-to-back five-set victories over the top two teams in the Southern Conference, Western Carolina volleyball is set to close out the home portion of its schedule with matches against Chattanooga on Friday and Samford on Saturday night. Both matches are set for a 6 p.m. start from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center and admission is free. The matches will additionally be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online through CatamountSports.com.
Prior to first serve on Saturday night, WCU will honor its 2023 senior class consisting of Julia Gardon, Ali Schreiber, Livi Weidmann and Eden Punch for their contributions to the Catamount volleyball program.
Matchup: Chattanooga (17-10, 5-7 SoCon) vs. Western Carolina (8-15, 5-7 SoCon)
Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Time: 6 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
Twitter: @CatamountVB
Matchup: Samford (11-13, 6-6 SoCon) vs. Western Carolina
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Time: 6 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
Twitter: @CatamountVB
WCU is coming off back-to-back wins over second-place Mercer last Thursday before knocking off the previously unbeaten – and league-leading – The Citadel on Saturday night in Cullowhee. In Saturday's win, Ali Morris (10 Kills, 18 Digs), Bailey Hartsough (19 Kills, 22 Digs) and Sarah Janourova (48 Assists, 14 Digs) each recorded double-doubles in the victory over the Bulldogs. In Thursday's triumph over the Bears, Morris tied a career-high with 20 kills as Janourova added 43 assists and 20 digs for the win.
On Monday afternoon, Punch was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week following last week's two wins. The Burlington, Ontario, native earned her second career defensive weekly honor and her first of the 2023 season. She helped anchor a WCU defense by tallying a combined 10 blocks and 12 kills in the victories over the top two teams in the SoCon standings.
Chattanooga comes into Friday's tilt with a 17-10 record including a 5-7 mark in the SoCon after falling in five sets on Friday night to ETSU. Morgan Romano leads the Mocs offensively thus far in 2023 with 376 kills sitting second in the conference as Gylian Finch has 328 kills ranking fourth in the league on the season along with 33 aces. Elaine Redman, a four-time SoCon setter of the week, leads Chattanooga with 965 assists which sits second in the SoCon this season. On the defensive side, the Mocs are led by Paige Gallentine who's totaled 506 digs which leads the league in 2023 as Finch has 285 and Redman has 275 digs. Chard'e Vanzandt leads the way for the Mocs on the block with 76 rejections.
The Catamounts hold a 50-42 edge in the all-time series with the Mocs as WCU claimed a four-set win over the Mocs at the beginning of October in Chattanooga. WCU has taken nine of the past 11 meetings from UTC including eight of the last nine matches. During the matchup on October 7, Morris led the Catamounts with 19 kills and 15 digs while Sarah Janourova tallied 43 assists and 22 digs in the victory.
Samford begins the weekend with an 11-13 mark as the Bulldogs tussle with ETSU on Friday before traveling to Cullowhee on Saturday night. The Bulldogs have earned wins in five of their last eight matches which includes four of those victories in three sets. Gracie Lynn Butler leads the Bulldogs on the offensive end with 370 kills which ranks third in the SoCon this season with Kaleigh Meritt totaling 277 kills in fifth place in the SoCon. Lexi Thatcher leads Samford in helpers with 702 ranking third in the Southern Conference. Katie Morgan leads the Bulldogs defensively with 338 digs and Kate Wonus has a team-high 67 blocks.
Samford holds a 31-9 advantage in the all-time series with WCU including a three-set victory over the Catamounts in Birmingham to begin October. In the first meeting, Ali Morris and Bailey Hartsough led the Catamounts on the offensive end with eight kills apiece as Morris tallied her fifth straight 10+ dig performance in a row with 13 on Friday which paced WCU.
Following Saturday's matchup in Cullowhee, the Catamounts hit the road one final time during the 2023 regular season as WCU heads to Wofford (Nov. 10) for a 6 p.m. start before squaring off with UNCG (Nov. 11) with a 5 p.m. first serve. Both matches will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
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)
