Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina's 2026 volleyball season previews continue with a look at a trio of setters, focusing on a rising senior who looks to etch her name in the program's record book and is joined by a pair of underclassmen.
WCU's setters are led by rising senior Katie Boney, who was the first Catamount to eclipse 1,000 assists in a season since 2019 on her way to earning the 2025 Southern Conference Setter of the Year honor. Boney is joined by returning sophomore Danielle Wheat and true freshman Leilani Ramos (Jupiter, Fla.).
Boney returns to lead the Catamount attack after recording 1,066 helpers in 2025, as she ranked as one of the national leaders in assists and assists per set. She was named SoCon Setter of the Week a league-best five times last fall, becoming the first Catamount to garner back-to-back weekly honors since 2019. Boney also became the 17th player in school history to eclipse 1,000 assists in her career. She enters 2026 just 109 assists away from becoming the 12th in program history to hit the 2,000 mark.
Boney was one of three Catamounts to start all 29 matches in 2025 spanning all 104 sets, where she averaged a SoCon-best 10.25 assists per set. She totaled 40 or more assists nine times, cresting the 50-assist threshold six times, while dishing out at least 22 assists in each of her 29 matches. She set a career benchmark with 64 assists in a five-set battle against Chattanooga.
In tallying nine double-doubles, Boney also had 249 digs with a career-best 22 digs in a home win over UNC Asheville.
Returning sophomore Danielle Wheat understudied Boney at the setter position a season ago, but didn't see on-court game action in 2025. Wheat starts her second season in Cullowhee following a successful prep career in Alabama.
The third and final setter on this season's squad is true freshman Leilani Ramos. A product of Jupiter, Fla., Ramos was a two-year captain at Jupiter Christian High School. She was a part of back-to-back district championships as a prep, dishing out over 500 assists in the second of the titles. She also tallied 165 digs and 44 aces. Ramos combined for 1,000 assists over her final two prep seasons.
Preseason practice for the Catamount volleyball team continues ahead of the squad's lone exhibition match against Anderson University scheduled for Friday, Aug. 21, at 6 p.m. on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. WCU opens the 2026 season a week later against Butler at Clemson's Big Orange Bash in the first of two early-season tournaments before opening its home schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 8, against Gardner-Webb.
All told, 11 of the squad's first 13 matches will be played away from the friendly confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
WCU's 2026 position preview on CatamountSports.com continues with both the pins and middle blockers heading into the 2026 season.
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).
