Cullowhee, N.C. – For the final time in the 2025 regular season, Western Carolina volleyball hits the road to close out the road portion of the 2025 regular season beginning on Thursday night. The weekend begins with a trip to Birmingham against Samford before traveling to Chattanooga on Friday night.
WCU begins the weekend at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday against the Bulldogs, followed by a matchup against the Mocs Friday evening, at 6 p.m. Thursday's match is slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with live statistics available for both matches online via a link at CatamountSports.com.
MATCH #1 PREVIEW
Western Carolina (7-16, 3-9 SoCon) at Samford (9-14, 4-8 SoCon)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT
Site: Pete Hanna Center (Birmingham, Ala.)
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Twitter: @CatamountVB
MATCH #2 PREVIEW
Western Carolina at Chattanooga (13-11, 7-5 SoCon)
Date: Friday, Nov. 7, 2025
Time: 6 p.m.
Site: Maclellan Gym (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Twitter: @CatamountVB
From the Service Line:
The Catamounts close out their road slate beginning Thursday, looking to bounce back from a pair of straight-set defeats against UNCG and first-place ETSU last weekend.
Freshman Samantha Kranzler led the offensive attack last weekend with 16 kills, followed by 13 kills apiece from sophomore Courtney Graham and freshman Tatum Sharp. Senior Janelle Blue and freshman Abbie Willis both added nine kills for the Catamounts, while junior Katie Boney tallied 55 helpers, at 9.17 assists per set, to go along with 15 digs and a pair of kills.
Sophomore Halley Tang led the way on the defensive end with 31 digs, averaging 5.17 per set, as Kranzler added 16 digs for the Purple & Gold, followed by 15 from Boney and 13 from junior Eda Yalçinkaya. Graham led the Catamounts on the block with six stops, followed by five from Sharp and four from Blue.
On the season, Boney continues to lead the league in assists with 831, the lone player in the SoCon with more than 800 helpers, while also holding the top spot in assists per set (10.26) and sitting in the top 30 nationally. Graham enters ranked fourth in blocks with 95 stops, one of four in the league to eclipse 90 rejections, and is tied for third in blocks per set at 1.17. Yalçinkaya is sixth in the league with 318 digs, and is sixth in digs per set (3.93).
In SoCon play, Boney ranks second in the league with 430 assists, while also holding the top spot in assists per set (10.49), playing in six fewer sets than the leader in assists per set. Yalçinkaya is sixth in digs (140) as she's tied for fifth in digs per set (4.0). Graham is tied for fifth with 39 stops on the defensive end.
As a team, WCU enters the two weekly matches ranked fourth in the league in kills per set (12.42), fifth in digs (1,263), and fourth in assists per set (11.72).
About Samford (9-14, 4-8 SoCon) – 2025 RPI 184
Samford has dropped three of its past four matches, falling to Furman, ETSU, and Wofford, with the lone victory coming against UNCG during that stretch. The Bulldogs have earned wins over the Spartans, Mercer, The Citadel, and the first matchup with WCU.
Samford has been led by a pair of offensive threats thus far in 2025, including redshirt junior Kaleigh Meritt, second in the SoCon with 329 kills, and junior Ally Cordes with 319 kills, fifth-most in the league. Merrit has nine double-doubles, including an eye-popping 32 kills against Winthrop, while Cordes has 10 double-doubles. Meritt and Cordes have both earned SoCon Player of the Week honors in 2025.
Sophomore Shea Bruntmyer has a pair of SoCon Setter of the Week honors and is third in the league in assists with 655 helpers, including 11 matches with 30 or more assists and has recorded three double-doubles for the Bulldogs. Freshman Tatelyn Brandsma has tallied 219 assists with 10 matches of 11-plus assists and a double-double against in-state foe North Alabama (36 assists, 10 digs). Cordes has a team-high 28 service aces.
On defense, senior Amelia Johnston leads the Samford defense with 239 digs, followed by Meritt with 218 and Cordes with 209 thus far in 2025. Senior Greer Golden leads Samford with 60 blocks, having already recorded nine matches with three or more blocks in 2025.
The Bulldogs have maintained control of the all-time series, with WCU holding a 35-9 advantage in the head-to-head battles, including wins in each of the last seven matches. Samford has won 18 of 21 all-time meetings in Alabama. Samford is under the direction of 27-year veteran Keylor Chan, in his 10th year in Birmingham, who has spent time at both Northwestern and Furman before his last 10 years with the Bulldogs.
About Chattanooga (13-11, 7-5 SoCon) – 2025 RPI 236
Chattanooga enters Friday's match looking to right the ship after losing three straight matches against ETSU, Wofford, and UNCG before the weekend. The Mocs are slated to battle Samford on Wednesday before hosting WCU on Friday. UTC opened the 2025 league season winning six of its first eight matches, including a six-match streak.
WCU looks to get back in the win column against the Mocs as UTC has won each of the past three meetings, though the Catamounts still hold a head-to-head lead of 51-45. Chattanooga has a 22-20 lead in the all-time series in matches held in the Scenic City.
Senior Sydney Jackwin leads the Mocs offensively, totaling a team-high 320 kills and ranking fourth in the SoCon, as she has tallied 19 matches in double figures for kills, including 14 double-doubles. Sophomore Gracie Rose has totaled 212 kills with double-digit kills in six of her last eight games for the Mocs, as classmate Kynli Kirkendoll has recorded 182 kills thus far.
Junior Ashley Reynolds leads Chattanooga in the assist column with 552 helpers, fourth in the league with 13 double-doubles. Senior Chiara Napoli has recorded 284 assists, having already eclipsed double-figure assists 15 times in 2025. The Mocs rank third in the league with 144 service aces, led by Jackwin with a conference-best 34 aces, followed by Reynolds with 27 and sophomore Elena Vukmanov with 26 service aces.
On the defensive end, Barthel leads Chattanooga and ranks first in the league with 429 digs, as she's had 20 matches with 10 or more digs, including a season-high 33 against Indiana State. Barthel also claimed Defensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season for UTC. Jackwin has 266 digs thus far in 2025, followed by Reynolds with 230 digs. Kirkendoll ranks fifth in the league with 88 rejections.
Head coach Julie Torbett leads the Mocs in her fourth season with UTC. The veteran head coach has spent 32 years coaching at UNC Asheville, Indiana (PA), Winthrop, and East Carolina before joining the Mocs.
What's Next for the Catamounts:
Following Friday's action in Chattanooga, Western Carolina closes out the 2025 regular season with a return to Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center next Friday, Nov. 14. The Catamounts open the weekend against chromatic rival Furman before playing host to Mercer the next night. Both matches are slated for a 6 p.m. first serve.
Friday's meeting with the Paladins will be a WHITE OUT, with Catamount fans encouraged to wear their white WCU gear. Saturday's match with the Bears will be Senior Night for Catamounts and seniors Samantha Jo Mikosky and Janelle Blue. It will also feature the 'Hike & Spike' doubleheader, with Catamount football hosting ETSU at 12 p.m. before the matchup with the Bears.
Both matches with the Paladins and the Bears are scheduled for ESPN+ (a paid subscription is required), and both contests 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).
