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Full
Tatum Sharp vs ETSU
Catamount Athletics Creative Media
3
Winner ETSU ETSU 9-5,3-0 SoCon
1
Western Caro. WCU 5-9,1-2 SoCon
Winner
ETSU ETSU
9-5,3-0 SoCon
3
Final
1
Western Caro. WCU
5-9,1-2 SoCon
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
ETSU ETSU 25 25 20 25 (3)
Western Caro. WCU 22 21 25 18 (1)

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

Volleyball Falls to ETSU in Homestand Opener

Catamounts fall in four tightly-contested sets; host UNCG on Saturday evening

Cullowhee, N.C. – Returning to their home court for the first time in nearly a month, Western Carolina volleyball opened the month of October on the wrong end of a tight four-set decision to mountain-rival ETSU on Friday night in Southern Conference action on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. The Buccaneers earned the win over the Catamounts by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, and 25-18.
 
WCU freshman Tatum Sharp and junior Zoe Zudans led the offensive attack with 13 kills apiece, followed by senior Janelle Blue, who totaled 10 kills. Three-time SoCon Setter of the Week Katie Boney led the Catamounts with 44 assists to go along with seven digs and a season-high four service aces.
 
On the defensive side, freshman Elise Gurley recorded a career-high 14 digs to lead the Catamounts, as classmate Samantha Kranzler was also strong on the defensive side with 13 digs. Junior Eda Yalçinkaya finished 10 digs to the defensive stat total for WCU. Blue led the block with six rejections, followed by Sharp and sophomore Courtney Graham with four stops apiece.
 
Mikayla Bays led the Bucs with 13 kills and 12 digs for the lone double-double for either squad. Brianna Cantrell and Whitley Rammel both finished with 11 kills as Rammel posted an impressive .563 hitting percentage thanks to a strong finish in the fourth set. Alex Kreutzmann led ETSU with 24 assists, along with seven digs, as Bailey Gohlke totaled 16 helpers in the victory. Libero Melanie Morris had a match-high 21 digs, while Rammel and Gianna Blair each had five blocks for the Bucs.
 
After withstanding an early 8-1 charge from the visitors on Friday night, WCU answered the bell with a red-hot 12-2 burst of its own to flip the scoreboard in its favor and a 13-10 lead midway through the opening set. ETSU quickly evened the score, though, ahead of a 5-2 run allowed WCU to take an 18-15 lead and force a Bucs timeout. The guests closed the set on a 10-4 run to earn the 25-22 opening set victory.
 
ETSU again jumped out to an early second-set advantage, which was met by a 6-1 spurt from the hosts to even the set at 11 and force an ETSU timeout. Out of the break, the Bucs strung together an 8-4 run to stretch their advantage to four, 19-15, prompting the Catamounts to use a timeout in the later stages. Western Carolina fought back with a 5-2 burst to cut the deficit to one, 21-20, before ETSU scored four of the final five points to secure a 25-21 set two triumph.
 
The opening of the third set was tied seven times over the opening 16 points as neither team was able to gain much footing before the Purple & Gold rattled off a 7-4 burst to gain a 15-12 advantage at the media break. The Bucs cut the deficit to one, 17-16, before three of the next four points went to the Catamounts for a 20-17 lead and an ETSU timeout. WCU kept the guests at bay down the stretch to claim the 25-20 set three win to force a fourth.
 
The fourth set featured a similar look to the third set with six early ties before the Bucs went on a 6-2 run to claim a 15-11 advantage at the halfway point of the stanza. The Catamounts quickly whittled the deficit to one, 15-14, but would get no closer as Rammel led ETSU on a 10-4 run to claim the set 25-18 and the match three sets to one.
 
Western Carolina (5-9, 1-2 SoCon) continues its four-match homestand on Saturday, Oct. 4, welcoming in-state foe UNCG to Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. The Spartans picked up their second consecutive win in SoCon play on Friday with a four-set victory over Chattanooga, improving to 9-5 on the year and 2-1 in league play entering Saturday's tilt.
 
First serve against UNCG on Saturday is slated for a special start time of 5 p.m. Saturday's action with the Spartans will be "Kids at the Court" and "Neon Night." The match with the Spartans is scheduled for ESPN+ (paid subscription required) and will feature 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).
 
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