Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball takes to the court for the first time in 2025 in the squad's lone exhibition match on Friday, Aug. 22, as the Catamounts host UNC Pembroke with first serve at 6 p.m. from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Friday's match is slated for four sets.
Admission to Friday's match – and all home matches throughout the 2025 season – is free of charge, presented by First Bank. Please note that neither live stats nor live video will be available for the exhibition match.
Under the direction of 15th-year head coach Karen Glover, Western Carolina returns nine players from a year ago, including a pair of senior middle blockers. The team welcomed six newcomers during preseason camp to bolster the lineup. Senior Janelle Blue finished third in the league with 111 blocks a season ago, averaging 1.09 blocks per set in 2024, also third-best in the SoCon. Blue is joined on the block by classmate Samantha Jo Mikosky, who totaled 73 blocks in 79 sets in 2024.
WCU's lineup also features a pair of juniors looking to reach statistical milestones in 2025 as setter Katie Boney (825 assists) needs just 175 helpers to become the 17th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career assists. Classmate Eda Yalcinkaya needs 262 digs to reach 1,000 for her Catamount career.
The 2025 roster features a combined six freshmen and four sophomores, which represents one of the youngest rosters in the Southern Conference entering this season.
Glover is joined by a pair of new faces on the sideline in Paige Shaw and Katie Butler. Shaw joined the Catamounts staff after spending the past two seasons at Grambling State in Louisiana. Following a successful four-year collegiate career at North Texas and most recently Rhode Island, Butler joins the WCU staff to round out the 2025 team.
UNC Pembroke posted a 17-18 record a season ago, and posted an 11-7 mark in Conference Carolinas in the DII ranks. The Braves are led by Jaleesa Harper, who's in her third year with UNCP as a 2014 graduate of Claflin University.
Junior outside hitter Abby Peduzzi leads the Braves as their top returner. Peduzzi, who garnered first-team all-conference honors, recorded 367 kills with 385 digs, resulting in 11 double-doubles a season ago. The Braves return three of their top five offensive threats from a season ago as the trio each eclipsed 200 kills during the 2024 campaign.
Western Carolina begins the 2025 regular season a week from Friday, meeting Big 12 foe Texas Tech on Friday, Aug. 29, as part of the Florida Atlantic Invitational. WCU also matches up with MAC counterpart Kent State later in the day, before facing the host FAU on the following afternoon to close out the opening weekend of action in Boca Raton, Fla. Live stats can be found at CatamountSports.com along with any broadcasts made available throughout opening weekend.
Following the trio of matches in Florida to raise the curtain, the Catamounts return to the Carolinas to take part in the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic, presented by Ingles in Asheville. The two-day event in the ExploreAsheville.com Arena at the Harrah's Cherokee Center, the same location as the 2025 SoCon Volleyball Championship in November that culminate the Catamounts' 27-match schedule.
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).
