Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina's 2026 volleyball season previews conclude with a look at the largest group of Catamounts in the pins, featuring a trio of returners and a threesome of fresh faces into #CatamountCountry.
WCU's pins – or outside and right-side hitters – are led by rising senior Zoe Zudans, who is joined by rising junior Peri Subat and sophomore Samantha Kranzler as the returning three student-athletes. A trio of newcomers join that three ahead of the 2026 season as junior transfer Sophia Marini (Daytona State) is flanked by freshmen Taylor Baggett (Fayetteville, N.C.) and Ashlyn Cobb (Delray Beach, Fla.) to round out the group for the Purple & Gold.
Zudans begins her final season in Cullowhee looking to close out her WCU career on a high note. She appeared in just 19 matches in 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury. Zudans finished third on the team with 199 kills, including a season-best 20 in a victory over Kent State on the opening-day doubleheader. She added to that with 19 kills against Big 12 foe Texas Tech as WCU began the year 2-0 behind the 39 kills from Zudans.
In SoCon play, Zudans tallied her lone double-double of the season with 16 kills and 12 digs in a home triumph over UNCG. She posted double-digit kills 11 times, with three coming against conference opponents. She added 68 digs to her stat line.
Subat returns to the Catamount attack looking to build on a solid finish to 2025. Over the final four matches, the Sheboygan Falls, Wis. native totaled 42 kills, including a career-best 17 kills in the home finale against Mercer, with a .242 hitting percentage over the final four matches. She continued her strong work with 11 kills in the Southern Conference tournament-opening win over The Citadel before a career-best five digs against ETSU in the quarterfinals.
The final returner to the WCU offensive group at the pins is Kranzler, who had a strong debut season for the Catamounts. She made an impressive statement in Cullowhee as she started all 29 matches, one of three for WCU to do so. Kranzler totaled seven double-doubles, finishing tied for the second-most kills on the squad with 243, a mark that ranked her ninth in the program's rally scoring era freshman records. She ranked eighth in kills per set in the rally scoring era for WCU at 2.34 kills per set, posting double-figure kills nine times, including a seasonal-best 22 against UNCG. She added 17 kills against Chattanooga and 18 in a home bout against chromatic rival Furman. The Norwood, N.J. native had double-digit kills against five league foes. Kranzler also finished third on the team with 279 digs, posting a season-high 20 digs in a road match against UTC.
Junior transfer Sophia Marini out of Daytona State College starts the second half of her collegiate career in a new uniform in Cullowhee. The Oviedo, Fla. native appeared in 45 matches with 156 sets played over two years at Daytona State. During her two years with the Falcons, Marini totaled 246 kills, ranking third on the team last season with 152. She finished with a single-game, season-best 11 kills against Polk State (Sept. 27) and 10 vs Salt Lake CC (Aug. 29).
Marini also contributed on defense with 65 blocks over her two seasons, including 44 in 2025. She garnered FCSAA All-Tournament team honors from the conference in 2025 after a standout performance in a pair of tourney matchups with 10 kills, five blocks, and four digs over seven sets.
The second newcomer to the pin group for WCU is true freshman Ashlyn Cobb out of Delray Beach, Fla., and Saint Andrew's High School. Cobb earned a Palm Beach Post Player of the Week Honor in 2025. During her time at Saint Andrew's HS, Cobb garnered first-team All-County honors and earned AVCA Phenom honors during the 2023 campaign. She also picked up American National Championship honors during the 2022 season.
The final pin on the Catamount roster is freshman Taylor Baggett. A product of Fayetteville, N.C., Baggett comes to Cullowhee after breaking both the school and county record for kills in a season with 496 at Gray's Creek High School. She also set her high school's career record with 1,395 kills, climbing atop the all-time leaderboard in Cumberland County.
Baggett was a three-time All-Region selection, while earning All-State accolades in each of the past two seasons. She also garnered High School OT All-State Honors during the 2024 season as she was named 910 Preps Player of the Year following the 24 campaign.
WCU opens the 2026 season on Friday, August 28 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.
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
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)
