CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball hits the road for the final two matches of the 2023 regular season as the Catamounts head to Wofford on Friday for a 6 p.m. start before squaring off with UNCG in the regular-season finale at 5 p.m. in Greensboro. Both matches are set to be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available online through CatamountSports.com.
Matchup: Western Carolina (9-16, 6-8 SoCon) at Wofford (18-7, 9-5 SoCon)
Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Time: 6 p.m.
Site: Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+
Twitter: @CatamountVB
Matchup: Western Carolina at UNCG (1-24, 0-14 SoCon)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 11
Time: 5 p.m.
Site: Fleming Gymnasium (Greensboro, N.C.)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Live Video: ESPN+
Twitter: @CatamountVB
WCU picked up the season series sweep of Chattanooga last Friday as the Catamounts swept the Mocs in straight sets led by a season-high 13 aces in the win. Bailey Hartsough led the offensive attack with 14 kills to go along with a season-high four aces for the junior. The Catamounts then suffered a hard-fought five set setback on Saturday for senior night as Samford spoiled the home finale for the Catamounts.
Wofford begins the weekend with an 18-7 record along with 9-5 SoCon mark as the Terriers have won each of their last three matches. Sarah Barham, a two-time defensive player of the week honoree leads a balanced offense for Wofford with 201 kills as Mary Emily Morgan has 192 and Millie Loehr has tallied 180 kills. Sarah MacLean has a totaled 176 kills as Addison Foote has 157 and the group is rounded out by Bri Mahoney with 110. Emily Hodson leads the Terriers in the assist column with 532 helpers as Taylor Pecht has recorded 401. The Terriers are led defensively by Barham who leads the SoCon with 107 blocks while Abbey Richman has a team-high 399 digs.
WCU holds a 28-22 edge on Wofford in the all-time series with the Terriers earning a 3-0 sweep in Cullowhee last month. Western Carolina looks to break a 12 match skid in Spartanburg as the Catamounts haven't earned a win over Wofford on its home court since 2006. In last month's matchup, Ali Morris paced the offense with nine kills as Sarah Janourova tallied 26 assists.
UNCG sits with a 1-24 entering the weekend as they host Furman on Friday before welcoming in WCU on Saturday night. Aylin Baran leads the Spartans with 261 kills as one of four players to eclipse 100 kills on the season. Madeline Timmerman has 150 kills and is second on the team with 22 aces while Daija Jackson sits with 143 kills and a team-high 48 blocks thus far in 2023. Hallie Cook has 125 kills for the Spartans in 2023 to round out the group of 100+ kills this season. Mallory Meers paces UNCG with 374 assists while Izora Gragg has 356 helpers for the Spartans. Mya Wood leads the way for UNCG with 224 digs.
The Catamounts hold a 34-27 edge over UNCG in the all-time series with WCU taking down the Spartans in straight sets on its home court last month. The Catamounts have earned straight set wins in each of their last three matches. WCU has taken five of the last six meetings from the Spartans in Greensboro. In last month's win, WCU was led by Bailey Hartsough who had 13 kills as Livi Weidmann filled the stat sheet with seven kills and eight blocks.
Following Saturday's matchup in Greensboro, the Catamounts turn their attention to the 2023 SoCon Volleyball Championship set to take place in Spartanburg beginning on Friday, November 17th. The seeds and matchups will be announced following the conclusion of the regular season on Saturday night.
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)
