Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina opens the first three-match Southern Conference week of the season on Tuesday evening, traveling to Spartanburg for the first meeting of a home-and-home series against league-leading Wofford. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
The Catamounts enter the week looking to build momentum after splitting a pair of matches with Samford last weekend, highlighted by a four-set victory on Thursday night. Wofford sits atop the conference standings and brings a five-match winning streak into Tuesday's matchup.
The return meeting between the two teams is scheduled for Oct. 27 in Cullowhee.
Matchday: Western Carolina (5-12, 1-3 SoCon) at Wofford (11-5, 4-0 SoCon)
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 6
Time: 6 p.m.
Site: Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (Spartanburg, SC)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Twitter: @CatamountVB
From the Service Line:
The Catamounts opened October by splitting a pair of matches against Samford, claiming a four-set victory before falling in a tightly contested five-set battle Friday night at Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Sophomore
Samantha Kranzler paced the WCU attack with 33 kills over the two-match series, including a career-high 25 in Friday's thriller. Senior
Zoe Zudans added 27 kills, while sophomore
Tatum Sharp and freshman
Ashlyn Cobb contributed 26 and 25 kills, respectively.
Senior setter
Katie Boney continued her outstanding season,
earning SoCon Setter of the Week honors after totaling a conference-best 107 assists during the weekend. The veteran posted a career-high 69 assists in Friday's five-set match while also leading the Catamounts with five service aces.
Defensively, sophomore
Elise Gurley recorded a team-best 37 digs, followed closely by Kranzler with 34 and Cobb with 33. Freshman
JoJo Abeyta anchored the Catamount block with six total stops, including five in limited action Thursday evening.
Entering Tuesday's Tilt at Wofford:
Boney enters the week leading the Southern Conference and ranking fourth nationally with 673 assists, averaging 9.48 assists per set. Zudans ranks seventh in the league with 192 kills.
Sharp is second in the conference with 69 total blocks and ranks fourth in blocks per set (0.97), while Gurley sits second in the SoCon with 298 digs and third with a 4.20 digs-per-set average.
As a team, Western Carolina leads the SoCon in kills (711), digs (1,095) and sets played (71), while ranking second in assists (788) and service aces (104). Nationally, the Catamounts enter the week ranked first in digs, 11th in assists and 13th in kills.
Catamount Career Record Watch:
Boney ranks ninth in the program's record book for career assists after her strong showing throughout 2026. Earlier this year, she became the 12th player in school history to reach 2,000 career assists, with 2,564. Boney needs 243 helpers to move into eighth in program history and pass Shari Harder (2000-03), who had 2,806 in her WCU career.
Scouting Wofford (11-5, 4-0 SoCon) – RPI 103
Wofford enters Tuesday's matchup riding a conference-best five-match winning streak after sweeping UNCG twice last weekend to remain unbeaten through its first four SoCon matches.
Senior libero Laney Klika has been one of the nation's top defensive performers, ranking among the NCAA leaders with 335 digs and 5.83 digs per set. The four-time SoCon Defensive Player of the Week leads a Terrier squad that was picked second in the league's preseason poll.
Offensively, junior Chloe Smith paces Wofford with 227 kills, ranking third in the conference. Middle blocker Bradley Brown adds 194 kills and ranks among the SoCon leaders offensively while also serving as one of the Terriers' primary blocking threats.
Wofford utilizes a two-setter system featuring senior Taylor Pecht and junior Maddy Fraizer, who have combined for 681 assists. The Terriers also pose a significant challenge from the service line, with four players recording double-digit service aces this season.
Head coach Lynze Roos is in her 12th season in Spartanburg and recently surpassed 200 victories at Wofford.
Series History:
Tuesday marks the 57th all-time meeting between the programs, with the series deadlocked at 28-28.
Western Carolina is seeking its first victory over Wofford since Oct. 28, 2022, and its first win in Spartanburg since 2006. The Terriers hold an 18-7 advantage in matches played on their home floor.
What's Next for the Catamounts:
Following Tuesday's road match, Western Carolina returns home to Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center for a two-match Southern Conference series against chromatic rival Furman on Oct. 9-10. The first serve is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday. Friday's match is "Decades Night," while Saturday's contest will serve as the team's annual WHITE OUT. Both matches will stream on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required), with live stats available at 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 X (@catamounts, @catamountvb).
