CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball finished its season-opening tournament action at North Carolina on Sunday afternoon, falling in straight sets to the host Tar Heels in the squad's final match of the Carolina Classic inside historic Carmichael Arena.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, junior outside hitter Ali Morris was named to the Carolina Classic All-Tournament team.
Senior Bailey Hartsough paced the Catamounts with nine kills and eight digs with a pair of assists. Junior Ali Morris finished with eight digs and four kills while recording three blocks along the net. Junior Samantha Jo Mikosky finished with a team-best five blocks to accompany three kills on seven swings. Senior Sarah Janourova led the way in the assist column with 13 helpers.
Freshman Avri Solik-Fifarek appeared in the second set on Sunday afternoon for her first collegiate action for WCU.
Safi Hampton led North Carolina with 11 kills, joined in double-digits by Chelsea Thorpe with 10 kills and five blocks. Mabrey Shaffmaster added eight kills, five aces, and six digs for the Tar Heels while Zoe Behrendt led in the assist column with a match-high 25 assists, seven digs, and three aces.
North Carolina (3-0) came out quickly in the opening set as the hosts opened on a 7-3 run spurred on by the match's first five points to gain the early advantage. The Catamounts pushed back with three of the next four points to cut the margin to two. But that would be as close as the set would get as a decisive 10-3 run for North Carolina created separation that allowed the home squad to take the set 25-13 for the 1-0 lead in the match.
Western Carolina opened the second set with the first two points including a kill from Mikosky before the Tar Heels used a 7-2 run to force WCU to take an early timeout. The two squads went back and forth out of the stoppage which allowed the Catamounts to stay within a point on multiple occasions, with the last coming at 18-17. The Tar Heels closed, scoring the set's final seven points to claim the set 25-17 win in set two.
The Tar Heels opened set number three with a slim 6-4 edge as the early stages featured multiple ties before the two squads traded the following eight points to make it 10-8 for the hosts. However, North Carolina used a 15-2 burst down the stretch to claim Sunday's match in straight sets.
The Catamounts (0-3) continue their lengthy season-opening road swing, traveling to East Carolina for the Pirate Invitational next weekend. WCU is set to battle Texas A&M-Commerce and N.C. A&T on Friday, Sept. 6, before facing off against the host Pirates the following afternoon. The matchup against ECU will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available on CatamountSports.com.
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