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Western Carolina battled UNC Pembroke in exhibition action on Friday night on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center
Catamount Athletics Creative Media
0
Western Caro. WCU 2-1,0-0 SoCon
3
Winner Fla. Atlantic FAU 2-1,0-0 American
Western Caro. WCU
2-1,0-0 SoCon
0
Final
3
Fla. Atlantic FAU
2-1,0-0 American
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Western Caro. WCU 27 18 21 (0)
Fla. Atlantic FAU 29 25 25 (3)

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

Boney Tallies Double-Double in Defeat to FAU

BOCA RATON, FLA. – Western Carolina volleyball closed out the opening weekend at the FAU Invite, dropping a straight-set decision at the hands of the hosts, Florida Atlantic, on Saturday afternoon inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

The Catamounts fall to 2-1 on the season after the opening weekend and return to action on Friday, September 5, for the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic in Asheville, battling College of Charleston. FAU improved to 2-1 and returns to action on Tuesday with a visit from in-state foe North Florida.

The Catamounts were led offensively once again by junior outside hitter Zoe Zudans, who tallied a team-best 11 kills, followed closely by freshman Tatum Sharp, who finished with nine kills, two aces, and a block. Classmate Samantha Kranzler had seven kills and four digs as sophomore Courtney Graham totaled six kills on 10 swings with zero errors.

Following the conclusion of the tournament, Zudans was named to the FAU Invitational All-Tournament team. Zudans led the squad with 50 kills including a weekend-high 20 kills on Friday against Kent State. Zudans contributed 11 digs and five blocks to her stat line along with a .292 hitting percentage.  

Junior Katie Boney picked up her first double-double of the season with a team-best 35 assists and added 10 digs. It's Boney's 10th career double-double of her two-plus years with the Purple & Gold. On the defensive end, junior Eda Yalçinkaya had a team-best 11 digs and added three helpers.

Anna Hartman led all players on Saturday with 12 kills and four blocks as she posted a strong .667 hitting percentage for the hosts. Kayla Richardson added 11 kills and three blocks with a .500 hitting percentage. Olivia Hart rounded out the offense for FAU with 10 kills, four digs, and a pair of blocks. Emsley Venard led the Owls with 25 assists, followed closely by Victoria Hensley with 24 helpers. Isabelle Northam led the way on defense with 18 digs.

Western Carolina wasted no time at all with a fast start on Saturday, jumping the Owls to an early 9-4 lead to force the quick timeout from the hosts. FAU battled back to even the set on a pair of occasions at the midpoint before jumping in front 18-16 as the opening set went down the stretch. The Catamounts fought back to take a one-point lead late in the match, which went into extra points with the margin of error so slim that FAU claimed the set 29-27.

The second set started tight on both sides before a 7-1 burst from the Owls allowed the hosts to seize early control of the set. The Catamounts fought back to a tied second set at the midpoint of the stanza before a 10-3 run from FAU allowed the Owls to take a 2-0 match lead. Florida Atlantic hit a blistering .452 in the second set to take control of Saturday's match.

After a back-and-forth start, WCU took a pair of small leads in the third set before stretching it to 14-11 before the Owls' offense flexed its muscles once again with a 9-3 run to make it 20-17 as the match hung in the balance. WCU fought back to even the set at 21, but were unable to get any closer, as the Owls claimed the 25-21 set and the match in straight sets.

Western Carolina travels to Asheville to participate in the inaugural Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic, presented by Ingles Markets, in conjunction with Explore Asheville, the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, and Lightstrike. The event is set to begin on Friday, Sept. 5.

The Catamounts battle former SoCon foe College of Charleston on Friday night before facing Bradley and Charlotte the next day at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, site of the 2025 SoCon Volleyball Championship in November. Tickets for the weekend's events in Asheville are on sale online through BlueRidgeVolleyballClassic.com or Ticketmaster.com and at the iHeart Media Asheville Box Office located at the venue.

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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