Cullowhee, N.C. – Sophomores Samantha Kranzler and Tatum Sharp each delivered career-best performances Friday night, but visiting Samford rallied from a set down to edge Western Carolina in a back-and-forth Southern Conference thriller at Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
The Bulldogs escaped with a 26-24, 19-25, 21-25, 29-27, 18-16 victory to close the opening weekend of October.
Kranzler paced the Catamount offense with a career-high 25 kills while hitting an impressive .373. She also added 17 digs to record her second double-double of the season. The sophomore capped an outstanding week against Samford with 33 kills, 34 digs and a team-best .308 hitting percentage.
Sharp joined Kranzler with a career night of her own, registering a career-high 21 kills on a .375 hitting percentage while collecting a personal-best six digs. Senior Zoe Zudans added 13 kills and six digs, while freshman Ashlyn Cobb recorded her second-straight double-double and sixth of the season with 12 kills and a career-high 20 digs.
Freshman JoJo Abeyta, making just her second start of the season, contributed six kills, four digs and a solo block, all career highs.
Senior setter Katie Boney continued her standout weekend by dishing out a career-high 69 assists while adding six kills and nine digs. Boney totaled 107 assists over the two-match series with the Bulldogs, averaging 11.89 assists per set. Boney also finished with 69 helpers, tying for the fourth-most assists in a single-match in WCU program history. The senior setter matched a mark set by Kim Hartsell who also had 69 at Chattanooga back on Nov. 1, 1988.
Defensively, sophomore Elise Gurley led the Catamounts with 22 digs, marking her fifth 20-plus dig effort this season. Cobb added 20 digs, while Kranzler chipped in 17. Sharp paced the Purple and Gold at the net with two blocks.
Samford was led by Ally Cordes, who matched her career-high with a match-best 31 kills and 15 digs. Maggie Kalisz added 10 kills, six blocks and four service aces, while Alison Ohlinger recorded a double-double with 51 assists and 10 digs. Brianna Hamilton collected 21 digs, and Janie Stinchcomb led the Bulldogs with eight blocks.
Western Carolina battled through a tightly contested opening set, erasing an early deficit with a 7-1 run to grab a 10-7 lead. The Bulldogs answered with an 8-2 surge and eventually closed the set by winning three of the final four points to claim a 26-24 victory.
The Catamounts responded in the second set. After creating separation midway through the frame, WCU closed with three unanswered points to secure a 25-19 win and even the match. The Purple and Gold hit a scorching .500 in the set with 18 kills.
Momentum carried into the third set as Sharp fueled an offensive explosion. Western Carolina used a 13-3 run to build a commanding 16-6 advantage before holding off a late Samford rally to secure a 25-21 victory and a 2-1 match lead. The Catamounts recorded 19 kills while hitting .441 in the frame.
Samford answered in a dramatic fourth set. After WCU erased an early deficit and grabbed a late lead, neither team managed more than a slim advantage during a stretch that featured 10 ties. The Bulldogs ultimately claimed four of the final five points to secure a 29-27 win and force a deciding fifth set.
The finale was every bit as competitive. Western Carolina led 5-2 early before Samford battled back to even the score at 8-8. The teams traded points throughout the closing stages and remained deadlocked at 16-16 before the Bulldogs scored the final two points to complete the comeback and escape Cullowhee with the five-set victory.
Western Carolina (5-12, 1-3 SoCon) returns to conference action Tuesday, Oct. 6, traveling to Spartanburg, S.C., to face Wofford in the first meeting of a home-and-home series. The Terriers will make the return trip to Cullowhee on Oct. 27. Tuesday's matchup with the Terriers will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be available via a link at CatamountSports.com.
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