ROCK HILL, S.C. – Winthrop used a hot night offensively to down Western Carolina in straight sets in nonconference volleyball action Thursday night at the Winthrop Coliseum. Winthrop won the match 25-14, 25-21, 25-13 to earn the nonconference victory from the Catamounts.
Junior Zoe Zudans had a match-best 11 kills for her eighth double-digit effort of the season to lead the WCU offensive attack. Freshman Samantha Kranzler added six kills and four digs for the Catamounts.
Junior setter Katie Boney added to her conference assists lead, dishing out 24 helpers to accompany nine digs, while also tallying a team-best two blocks on the defensive end. Sophomore Halley Tang reached double-digit digs for the fifth time this season with a team-high 11, while junior Eda Yalçinkaya finished with eight for WCU.
Giselle Little led three Eagles with 10 kills, hitting .529 for the hosts, followed by Avery Jolley with 10 kills and 10 digs for the lone double-double of the match. Laila Glover rounded out the trio with 10 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. Teagan Sychterz had nine kills and a .533 hitting percentage. Rachel McCollum led the way for Winthrop with 36 assists, six digs, and five kills. Sophia Matthews had a team-high 13 digs as Glover and Sychterz each led the way with three blocks.
The Eagles used a fast start in the opening set, racing out to a 16-4 lead to seize control before a quick burst from WCU cut into the deficit. The guests tried to chip away at the margin before Winthrop claimed the 25-14 opening set victory. The Eagles hit .310 collectively in the opening stanza.
The Catamounts opened the second set with a 6-3 run out of the gates, which was quickly answered by a 12-3 run by the hosts to take a 15-9 lead at the midpoint, forcing a WCU timeout. The Purple & Gold clawed back in the set with a burst that cut the deficit to two, 19-17. However, the Eagles created the separation to take the set 25-21 with another strong offensive set as they recorded a .441 hitting percentage in the second set to stretch to a 2-0 lead.
A tight start in the third set saw WCU take a slim 7-4 edge before the Eagles erupted with a 13-2 run to swell the advantage to eight, 17-9, forcing a Catamount timeout. WCU cut the deficit to six, 17-11, before an 8-2 run from the hosts allowed them to secure the 3-0 sweep on Thursday.
Western Carolina (4-6) closes out its nonconference slate on Friday, Sept. 19, with a trek to Charlotte to battle Queens University. Friday's bout is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first serve with the Royals and will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription is required), with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
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