Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina's 2026 volleyball season previews continue with a look at a quartet of middle blockers, focusing on a rising sophomore and the reigning Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, paired with a trio of new faces to #CatamountCountry.
WCU's middles are led by rising sophomore Tatum Sharp, who was the first Catamount in program history to earn the Rayna Taylor SoCon Freshman of the Year Award after a strong debut season. A trio of new faces joins her at WCU, led by sophomore transfer Brookelyn Nance (Gardner-Webb) and a pair of freshmen in JoJo Abeyta (Littleton, Colo.) and Aiyana Harris (Mansfield, Texas) to round out the foursome.
Sharp was impressive on the block in her rookie season, finishing with 74 blocks, the second-most on the squad and the most by a returning Catamount in 2026. The Loveland, Colo. native recorded multiple blocks 21 times, including two matches with five rejections against Kent State and on the road against Chattanooga. Sharp's 74 blocks tied her for sixth all-time among WCU freshmen in the rally scoring era.
Sharp also led the Catamount offense after recording a team-best 252 kills, tied for sixth in the school's rally scoring era as a freshman. She offensively added the sixth-best mark in kills per set in the rally scoring era at 2.5. Sharp recorded a season-best 16 kills in a home victory over mountain-rival UNC Asheville and posted a pair of 15-kill performances, including in the season-opening victory against Big 12 foe Texas Tech. She also had a .300 hitting percentage 16 times, with a season-best .647 (12 kills on 17 swings) against The Citadel.
Nance joins the Catamount defensive block off a freshman season at in-state counterpart Gardner-Webb. During her opening season with the Runnin' Bulldogs, Nance totaled 67 rejections to help lead Gardner-Webb to the second-best mark for blocks in the Big South. She set a career-best with eight stops in a four-set home win against Hampton, while adding seven blocks in a three-set win over current SoCon counterpart UNCG. Nance comes to the Catamounts after totaling 113 kills spanning 75 sets throughout 22 matches with a season-high 10 kills against Norfolk State during the early part of the season. She had five matches posting over a .300 hitting percentage in Boiling Springs.
The third middle blocker on this season's squad is true freshman JoJo Abeyta, who joins the squad out of Littleton, Colo. Abeyta put together an impressive senior season with a stat-loading campaign of 242 kills, 2.7 kills per set, and 255 service aces as she totaled 14 matches with double-digit kills and a season-best 19. Abeyta also had a strong service game for Heritage High, totaling 14 matches with 10 or more service aces.
The final middle blocker on the Catamount roster is freshman Aiyana Harris. A product of Mansfield, Texas, Harris earned Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors during the 2024 season, paired with being named to All-District in 2025 after totaling 176 kills paired with 75 blocks. During her Co-Offensive Player of the Year honoree season, she had 179 kills in 79 sets with 43 aces and 34 blocks.
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 a wrap-up occurring with the pins 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).
Important Dates in Catamount Athletics
Friday, Aug. 21 – Volleyball Exhibition – vs. Anderson (Ramsey Center, 6 p.m.)
Friday, Aug. 21 – Catamount Shootout Golf Tournament (Marion Lake Club, Nebo, N.C.)
Saturday, Aug. 29 – Catamount Football season-opener vs. Eastern Kentucky (7 p.m.)
Tuesday, Sept. 8 – Volleyball Home Opener – vs. Gardner-Webb (Ramsey Center, 6 p.m.)
Sept. 13-15 – Men's Golf – JT Poston Invitational – (Waynesville Inn & Golf Club)
Friday, Oct. 2 – Bob Waters Memorial Golf Tournament – (Sequoyah National, Cherokee)
