Boone, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball finished its third and final early-season nonconference tournament on Sunday, falling at event host Appalachian State as the Mountaineers earned a four-set decision to conclude the Mountaineer Classic at the Holmes Convocation Center. Appalachian State earned the victory by scores of 25-18, 25-10, 21-25, 25-15.
WCU returns to the hardwood for the first of three straight matches against the Big South Conference as the Catamounts visit mountain rival UNC Asheville on Tuesday before a home-and-home against USC Upstate on Thursday and Friday. Appalachian State (5-5) hits the road Tuesday with a midweek tilt against ACC counterpart NC State.
Sophomore Tatum Sharp continued her strong offensive work with a team-best 13 kills on Sunday, coming on another strong hitting day with a .300 attack percentage. Following the tournament, Sharp was named to the Mountaineer Classic all-tournament team for her efforts in Boone. She recorded a team-best 30 kills over the three matches, including back-to-back outings with 13 kills. She also finished with seven blocks and four service aces.
Freshman Aiyana Harris tallied eight kills, while sophomore Samantha Kranzler added seven and freshman Taylor Baggett five.
Senior Katie Boney posted her fourth double-double of the season with 34 assists and 11 digs, adding a pair of blocks, including a solo stop. Sophomore Elise Gurley had a team-best 16 digs, followed by Boney's 11. Boney and Sharp led the Catamounts with two blocks apiece.
Charlotte Thompson led Appalachian State with a match-high 17 kills on a .342 attack percentage, while Lou Johnson totaled 11 kills on a .733 hitting percentage. Bella Hutchens and Nevaeh Hays both finished with nine kills, while Delanie Grevengoed added eight kills and four aces. Raegan Richardson led the Mountaineers with 46 assists. Meme Davis led App State with 17 digs as Johnson paced the squad with eight blocks followed by four from Thompson.
After a tight start to the opening set, the Mountaineers used a 6-1 run to take the early 8-4 lead. WCU responded with a 9-4 burst to jump back in front at 13-12 before the hosts stretched their lead to five, 20-15, with eight of the ensuing 10 points. After back-to-back points from the Catamounts, the Mountaineers finished the set by scoring five of the final six points to earn the 25-18 win.
The second set saw five ties over the first 14 points before the Mountaineers used an 18-3 run to race past Western Carolina with a 25-10 set two victory and take a 2-0 lead in Sunday's matchup.
The teams traded 10-5 runs to play to a 15-15 gridlock at the midpoint of the third set. WCU used a quick 5-2 burst that was answered by three in a row from the Mountaineers to again knot things up at 20-20. WCU managed the final push, though, closing the set with five of the final six points for the 25-21 win, forcing a fourth set.
App State began the fourth set with a 13-5 run to take control of the stanza. The Catamounts managed to cut it to a seven-point deficit on a pair of occasions before a 5-2 spurt allowed the Mountaineers to take a 19-9 lead late. WCU cut it to 21-14 before the Apps closed with four of the final five points to take the match in four sets.
Western Carolina (4-6) opens a busy week to wrap up nonconference play. On Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Catamounts travel to Asheville to square off with mountain rival UNC Asheville. The nonconference slate wraps up with a home-and-home against USC Upstate as the Catamounts host the Spartans on Thursday, Sept. 17, before traveling to Spartanburg the next night to end the pre-SoCon slate.
All three matches will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be provided via a link at CatamountSports.com.
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