Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina
The Official Home of Catamount Athletics

Schedule

Full
Western Carolina Volleyball hosted Samford on Halloween night in SoCon volleyball action at Ingles Court inside the Ramsey Center
3
Winner Samford SU 13-8,7-4 SoCon
0
Western Caro. WCU 7-15,1-8 SoCon
Winner
Samford SU
13-8,7-4 SoCon
3
Final
0
Western Caro. WCU
7-15,1-8 SoCon
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Samford SU 25 25 25 (3)
Western Caro. WCU 18 22 20 (0)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Catamounts Drop Halloween Matchup with Samford

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball began a three-match homestand on Thursday night on the wrong end of a straight-set defeat to visiting Samford in Southern Conference play on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.  
 
Junior Ali Morris continued her strong offensive work with a team-high 13 kills, adding four digs and a solo block on the night. Sophomore Zoe Zudans added eight kills, just ahead of junior Janelle Blue had seven kills for WCU. Senior Sarah Janourova led the assist column with 16 helpers and seven digs, while sophomore Katie Boney dished out 15 assists to accompany six digs. Freshman Halley Tang led the way for the Catamounts defensively with 13 total digs while Blue added two more rejections to her seasonal total.
 
Kaleigh Meritt led all players with 17 kills to go along with seven digs, as Gracie Lynn Butler picked up 12 kills for Samford. Lexi Thatcher recorded the lone double-double of the match with 35 assists and 14 digs, both of which led the Bulldogs. Ally Cordes was strong all around with 12 digs, eight kills, and four blocks for Samford. Kate Wonus finished with four blocks and nine kills.
 
After tight back-and-forth action early in the opening set on Thursday, Samford (13-8, 7-4 SoCon) used a 7-4 run to seize early control at 14-8 and force a WCU timeout. The guests continued to put pressure on the Catamounts with five of the next seven points out of the stoppage, pushing the lead to nine, 19-10, and forcing WCU into a second timeout. The Catamounts fought back with an 8-4 burst, but a pair of late points from Samford thwarted the run and gave the Bulldogs a 25-18 set win.
 
Western Carolina wasted no time in the second set with an 8-4 burst out of the gates to take the early advantage and force Samford to spend an early timeout. Samford pushed the deficit to only two points before a 6-2 run from WCU made it 18-12, leading the guests to a second timeout. Samford responded quickly out of that pause, though, with seven of the next nine points to cut it to a one-point deficit at 20-19. The guests maintained the pressure with a 6-2 burst to claim the set 25-22, outscoring the Catamounts 13-to-4 to grab the two-set lead.
 
Neither team was able to gain footing in the third set with 10 ties in the early going before a 6-3 Samford run gave the guests a 15-13 lead at the media break. The Catamounts managed to tie the set at 17-17 before three straight points gave the Bulldogs a late lead and forced a timeout for WCU. The Catamounts got it to a three-point deficit but no closer as the Bulldogs claimed a 25-20 win to sweep Thursday's SoCon action.
 
Western Carolina (7-15, 1-8 SoCon) continues its three-match homestand on Friday, Nov. 1, against Furman with a first serve set for 6 p.m. on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. The matchup with the Paladins is slated to 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).
 
Print Friendly Version