CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina's 2025 volleyball season preview closes out with a look at a quartet of Catamount liberos. WCU's roster of backline defenders features a junior, a sophomore, and a pair of true freshmen.
2025 WCU Volleyball Position Previews:
Setters
Outside Hitters
Middle Blockers
Junior Eda Yalcinkaya, the lone upperclassman, leads the Catamounts libero unit. She is joined by sophomore Halley Tang, the only other returning libero to the squad. The position group is rounded out by a pair of freshmen in Elise Gurley (Wake Forest, N.C./Heritage HS) and Evelyn Keefer (Winder, Ga./Lanier Christian Academy).
Yalcinkaya returns to the Catamount lineup after a 2024 season that saw her tally a team-high 404 digs, which ranked 11th in the SoCon and is fifth among returners in the league. She begins her junior campaign only 262 digs shy of recording 1,000 for her career.
A product of Istanbul, Turkey, Yalcinkaya saw action in all 29 matches in 2024, serving as the libero in every match last season, one of just six players to see action in every match. Yalcinkaya tallied double-digit digs 24 times, including a career-best 24 digs against Chattanooga last October. She led the team in digs 13 times with 14 double-digit dig performances during SoCon play.
Halley Tang begins her second campaign with the Purple & Gold after her debut for the Catamounts a season ago. She played in 28 matches with three starts as a freshman across 77 sets. She recorded 120 digs with a season-high 17 digs in the regular-season finale against Chattanooga.
A product of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tang finished with five matches in double figures for digs, with four SoCon matches hitting the threshold. She added eight aces to her stat line during the 2024 season.
The first of two newcomers is Evelyn Keefer, who comes to Cullowhee after a successful prep career at Lanier Christian Academy. Keefer was a four-year captain, a five-time All-Region honoree, and a four-time All-State selection. She garnered a pair of MVP honors from her high school team. In the classroom, she received scholar-athlete honors four times. Keefer played club volleyball at TK Volleyball.
The second of the two freshmen among the liberos is Elise Gurley, who spent her prep career at Heritage High in Wake Forest, N.C. In just two seasons, Gurley amassed 82 service aces and 610 career digs. She led the Northern Athletic Conference in digs as a senior. Gurley played club volleyball with Triangle Volleyball.
Western Carolina pulls the curtain back on the 2025 regular season on Aug. 29 with a doubleheader against Texas Tech and Kent State at Florida Atlantic's on-campus arena. The Catamounts and the host Owls battle the next afternoon to close out the opening weekend in Boca Raton. All told, 12 of the squad's first 13 matches will be played away from the friendly confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
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).
