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VB Preview at Blue Ridge VB Classic - FRONT

Women's Volleyball Greg Hartlage, Director of Media Relations

Volleyball Heads to Asheville for Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic

Cullowhee, N.C. – Following a 2-1 weekend, the Western Carolina volleyball team looks to carry its winning momentum as it heads down the road to Asheville to take part in the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic beginning on Friday night, presented by Ingles Markets, in conjunction with Explore Asheville, the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, and Lightstrike. The tournament will take place at Harrah's Cherokee Center, the same site of the 2025 Ingles SoCon Volleyball Championship.

WCU begins the weekend on Friday night against former SoCon foe College of Charleston, with the first serve set for 7 p.m. The Catamounts return to the court early on Saturday at 11 a.m. with a matchup against Bradley, followed by a game against Charlotte on Saturday at 7 p.m., which will close out the weekend in Asheville. Live stats for all three matches will be available on CatamountSports.com.

Match One: College of Charleston (1-2) vs Western Carolina (2-1)
Date: Friday, Sept. 5
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Harrah's Cherokee Center (Asheville, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Twitter: @CatamountVB
 
Match Two: Bradley (2-1) vs Western Carolina
Date: Saturday, Sept. 6
Time: 11 a.m.
Site: Harrah's Cherokee Center (Asheville, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Twitter: @CatamountVB
 
Match Three: Charlotte (0-3) vs Western Carolina
Date: Saturday, Sept. 6
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Harrah's Cherokee Center (Asheville, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Twitter: @CatamountVB
 
From the Service Line:
The Catamounts return to action on Friday, coming off a successful opening weekend that saw the Purple & Gold rally from down 2-1 in the season-opener against Texas Tech to stun the Red Raiders for a five-set win. It marked the first win over a Power Four opponent since 2022, when WCU defeated ACC opponents Wake Forest and N.C. State in the same season. Western Carolina also picked up a four-set win over Kent State on opening day before falling in three sets to host FAU.
 
The Catamounts filled the stat sheet throughout the weekend, led by junior outside hitter Zoe Zudans (50 Kills) as she tallied 19 kills against Texas Tech and 20 against Kent State, as the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. native ranks second in the conference as she's one of just two with 50+ kills through the opening week of action. Zudans was joined offensively by a pair of freshmen, Tatum Sharp (32 K) and Samantha Kranzler (24 K), along with senior Janelle Blue (21 K) and Courtney Graham (20 K), each of whom led the attack in Boca Raton.

The league's Setter of the Week, Katie Boney, posted a league-best 134 assists as she averaged 11.17 assists per set and sits inside the top 20 nationally in both categories while leading the SoCon. On the defensive side of the stat sheet, junior Eda Yalçinkaya finished with a team-best 50 digs (tied fourth in SoCon) as Kranzler followed her with 27 as she grabbed her first career double-double in Friday's win over Kent State. On the block, Graham led the defense with 13 rejections, followed by Sharp with 10 stops.

As a team, WCU is first in the SoCon in kills (160), second in kills per set (13.33), and third in hitting pct. (.237), first in assists (151), second in assists per set (12.58), tied for third in blocks (25), fifth in blocks per set (2.08), fifth in digs (161), fourth in digs per set (13.42), first in service aces (19).

Following the trip to Asheville, the Catamounts begin their home slate with a midweek showdown against mountain-rival UNC Asheville before making the trek to North Alabama for a matchup with the host Lions and SEC foe Alabama. The nonconference slate concludes with back-to-back road bouts against Winthrop and Queens. The Catamounts open SoCon play with a road matchup at The Citadel and Wofford before returning to Cullowhee for a SoCon home opener against ETSU on Oct. 3.

The Catamounts return nine letter winners, including six players who appeared in 27 or more matches for WCU during the 2024 campaign: Janelle Blue, Eda Yalçinkaya, Samantha Jo Mikosky, Halley Tang, Zoe Zudans, and Katie Boney. WCU's 15th-year head coach Karen Glover added six freshmen to round out the 2025 roster. Elise Gurley (Wake Forest, NC), Danielle Wheat (Mount Olive, AL), Tatum Sharp (Loveland, CO), Samantha Kranzler (Norwood, NJ), Evelyn Keefer (Winder, GA), and Abbie Willis (Punta Gorda, FL).

Catamount Career Record Watch:
Juniors Katie Boney and Eda Yalçinkaya both enter their third seasons in Cullowhee, looking to reach some statistical milestones. Both Boney and Yalçinkaya have the opportunity to achieve career benchmarks during the 2025 season.

Junior Katie Boney (959 Assists):
The Brookhaven, Ga., native opened her junior season with a strong first weekend in Boca Raton, tallying 134 assists over the weekend. She garnered SoCon Setter of the Week honors for the first time in her WCU career. She enters the weekend needing just 41 assists to become the 17th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career helpers. She looks to continue building off a solid sophomore campaign with a team-high 543 assists, which ranked ninth in the SoCon and is fourth among returning student-athletes in the league in terms of assists.

Junior Eda Yalçinkaya (778 Digs):
The Catamounts' third-year libero began the 2025 season with a team-high 50 digs, ranking her among the top five in the SoCon following the first weekend. She enters the weekend needing just 222 digs to reach the 1,000-dig plateau. The Istanbul, Turkey native came off her sophomore season, where she totaled 404 digs to lead the squad and ranks fifth among returners for WCU on the defensive end of the court.

SCOUTING THE FIELD:
College of Charleston (1-2 in 2025 – 25-9, 15-3 CAA in 2024)  – 2024 RPI 91
Friday night's opener for the Catamounts pulls the curtain on day one of the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic and comes in the form of former SoCon foe, College of Charleston, in the 34th all-time meeting on the volleyball court.

It's the second straight season that the Catamounts and Cougars have met, as C-of-C defeated WCU 3-1 in last year's season opener in Chapel Hill. The Catamounts are looking to break a 19-match skid against the Cougars that dates back to November 12, 2000. Friday is the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools on a neutral court.

College of Charleston went 1-2 in its opening weekend in the Holy City as the Cougars fell in four sets to EKU and five sets to Appalachian State before downing SoCon foe Mercer in four to close out the weekend.

The Cougars were led in opening weekend by ECU graduate transfer Izzy Marinelli, who totaled 35 kills and five blocks over the three matches as she tallied at least 10 kills in all three matches. Freshman Caroline Noonan finished the weekend with 32 kills, including 15 against App State, while hitting .536 in the loss. Junior Lauren Dow led the Cougars with 107 assists, while freshman Jumana Martin recorded a team-best 48 digs.

College of Charleston was tabbed to defend its 2024 regular season and tournament title as part of the CAA's 11-team Preseason Poll, which featured the Cougars receiving five first-place votes and edging Hofstra and Towson for the top spot in a tight top three. The Cougars are led by Jason Kepner, who's in his 19th year at the helm in Charleston, as he's earned three Coach of the Year honors and 10 Conference titles with six NCAA appearances.

Bradley (2-1 in 2025 – 15-16, 10-8 MVC in 2024)  – 2024 RPI 227
The Catamounts begin Saturday's action in Asheville with a matchup against Bradley, in just the third all-time meeting on the volleyball court and the first since 2018. The Braves have won both of the prior meetings between the two schools in three- and four-set matches on neutral-site courts.

Bradley went 2-1 on its home court opening weekend, winning three sets against Western Illinois and four sets against Quinnipiac, while dropping a five-set decision to UTA.

The Braves were led in their opening weekend by junior Tendai Titley with 35 kills, followed closely by sophomore Dakota Elliott with 29 and freshman Gracie Furlong with 26 kills. Sophomore Maria Drapp had a team-high 102 helpers as Drapp picked up a pair of double-doubles over opening weekend. Senior Irene Mostardini led the Braves with 61 digs, including a pair of matches with 23 digs each. Elliott was one of three Braves to eclipse 10 blocks with a team-best 13 rejections.

UNI was picked to win the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference title as the league only announces its top four favorites in the preseason rankings. Alicia Williams began her fourth season at the helm in Peoria last week, coming off a 2024 season that saw Bradley total 15 victories.

Charlotte (0-3 in 2025 – 5-24, 2-14 in AAC)  – RPI 300
Saturday night's capper of the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic sees the Catamounts battle for the second straight tournament finale against an AAC foe, as WCU takes on Charlotte. The two teams have met 38 prior times head-to-head, with each school earning 19 victories, with Saturday night marking the first time since 2016 the 49ers and Catamounts have squared off.

Charlotte went 0-3 in its opening weekend in Rock Hill, as the 49ers dropped a three-set decision to William & Mary before being nipped in a five-setter by Winthrop. The weekend concluded with a single match against crosstown foe Davidson, where the Wildcats earned a three-set triumph.

Charlotte's offense was paced by Long Beach State senior transfer Jaylen Jordan, who tallied 41 kills along with 39 digs and four blocks as Jordan had a pair of double-doubles on the weekend. The 49ers saw graduate students Kristen Birmingham and Jessica Ricks each finish with 39 kills to help add to the offensive stat line behind Jordan. Sophomore Maddie Stuesser finished with a team-best 108 helpers, including 52 assists against Winthrop. Graduate student Annika Thompson led the 49ers on the defensive end with 47 digs, and freshman Jovana Antic totaled 12 rejections.

Charlotte was picked 11th in the 13-team American Athletic Conference preseason poll, which featured Rice receiving nine first-place votes and tabbed to win the AAC in 2025. Birmingham was selected to the preseason all-conference team. The 49ers are led by Benavia Jenkins, who's in her first season in the Queen City after spending the past two years as associate head coach at Michigan. Before her stop in Ann Arbor, Jenkins had a successful stint with mountain rival ETSU, as she was named the 2022 SoCon Coach of the Year, tallying a pair of 20+ win seasons.

What's Next for the Catamounts:
Following Saturday's finale with the 49ers, Western Carolina pulls the curtain back on its home slate with a visit from mountain-rival UNC Asheville on Tuesday, Sept. 9, with first serve slated for 6 p.m. from Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.  

Tuesday's match against the Bulldogs will be shown on ESPN+ (a paid subscription is required), and live stats will be 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).
 
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Players Mentioned

Janelle Blue

#14 Janelle Blue

MB/RS
5' 11"
Senior
Katie Boney

#18 Katie Boney

S
6' 0"
Junior
Courtney Graham

#5 Courtney Graham

MB
6' 1"
Sophomore
Samantha Jo Mikosky

#7 Samantha Jo Mikosky

MB/RS
6' 3"
Senior
Halley Tang

#2 Halley Tang

L
5' 7"
Sophomore
Eda Yalçinkaya

#20 Eda Yalçinkaya

L
5' 4"
Junior
Zoe Zudans

#22 Zoe Zudans

OH
6' 0"
Junior
Elise Gurley

#6 Elise Gurley

L
5' 5"
Freshman
Abbie Willis

#11 Abbie Willis

OH
6' 2"
Freshman
Tatum Sharp

#12 Tatum Sharp

MB
6' 2"
Freshman
Danielle Wheat

#9 Danielle Wheat

S
5' 8"
Freshman
Evelyn Keefer

#17 Evelyn Keefer

L
5' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Janelle Blue

#14 Janelle Blue

5' 11"
Senior
MB/RS
Katie Boney

#18 Katie Boney

6' 0"
Junior
S
Courtney Graham

#5 Courtney Graham

6' 1"
Sophomore
MB
Samantha Jo Mikosky

#7 Samantha Jo Mikosky

6' 3"
Senior
MB/RS
Halley Tang

#2 Halley Tang

5' 7"
Sophomore
L
Eda Yalçinkaya

#20 Eda Yalçinkaya

5' 4"
Junior
L
Zoe Zudans

#22 Zoe Zudans

6' 0"
Junior
OH
Elise Gurley

#6 Elise Gurley

5' 5"
Freshman
L
Abbie Willis

#11 Abbie Willis

6' 2"
Freshman
OH
Tatum Sharp

#12 Tatum Sharp

6' 2"
Freshman
MB
Danielle Wheat

#9 Danielle Wheat

5' 8"
Freshman
S
Evelyn Keefer

#17 Evelyn Keefer

5' 8"
Freshman
L