CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball raised the curtain on its 2024 home slate on Friday evening on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. However, the visiting UNCG Spartans spoiled the much-anticipated home debut with a 3-1 win in Southern Conference action.
Senior Bailey Hartsough paced the Catamounts in double-double fashion with 17 kills and 19 digs as the LaGrange, Ind. native notched her ninth double-double of the season. Junior Ali Morris matched Hartsough with 19 digs to accompany 11 kills for her eighth double-dip, while sophomore Katie Boney added her third double-double of the year with a team-high 25 assists and 10 digs.
Senior Sarah Janourova added 23 helpers to her stat line, along with seven digs. On the defensive end of the court, sophomore Logan Carr picked up a match-high five blocks along with six kills as Hartsough added four rejections to the stat line.
Allie Sweet led all players on Friday with 18 kills and nine digs for the Spartans, while Emily Hanlon totaled 16 kills and McKenna Timmerman finished with a dozen kills for the visitors. Izora Gragg led UNCG with a match-high 51 assists while totaling 11 digs for the Spartans' lone double-double. Chloe Nussbaum led the way on the defensive end with 20 digs as Cece Fitz added four blocks.
After a back-and-forth start in the early going, UNCG (6-11, 1-4 SoCon) used an 8-2 run to push in front by the score of 10-4 and force the hosts into an early timeout. Following the stoppage, WCU worked its way back into the set with 10 of the next 16 points as Morris, Hartsough, and Zoe Zudans each had a pair of kills to make it 16-14 Spartans and forced the guests into a timeout. The guests closed with nine of the final 12 points to take the early match lead with a 25-17 set win.
The second set stayed even early with three ties before a 5-2 Spartans run resulted in an early 8-5 lead. The Catamounts answered with a 9-4 run of their own to take a 14-12 lead at the midpoint of the set. UNCG regained the lead with a 6-2 burst, giving the Spartans an 18-16 lead and forcing a Catamount timeout. WCU was able to close with a 9-4 spurt and even Friday's action at a set apiece at 25-22.
Both teams stayed tight in the third set as neither got to more than a two-point advantage before the Catamounts went on a 7-2 run to take a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. UNCG regained the slim edge with seven of the next 10 points to make it 19-18 as the third set headed down the stretch. WCU scored four of the following six points to force a timeout, which was answered by four of the final five from the Spartans, who saw the guests take a 25-23 set three win.
Much like the third set, neither team was able to gain a sizeable edge in the fourth. WCU used a quick 8-3 spurt to jump in front 16-13, which was quickly answered by a 6-1 spurt from UNCG to make it 19-17 Spartans and see WCU use a timeout. The two teams traded the next eight points before the Spartans closed with two of the final three points to claim Friday's match in four sets.
Western Carolina (7-9, 1-2 SoCon) continues at home on Saturday for a 7 p.m. first serve against the defending SoCon Tournament Champion Wofford as part of a Hike & Spike Doubleheader. WCU football kicks off Saturday's doubleheader with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff against the Citadel for Heroes Day before volleyball battles the Terriers.
Both volleyball and football will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be 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).
