Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina volleyball opens the home portion of its schedule on Tuesday, hosting Gardner-Webb, looking to carry momentum from a pair of weekend wins at the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic. Match time is 6 p.m. on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Tuesday has been dubbed both 'Back the Cats Night' and Faculty and Staff Night. It will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats are available through a link at CatamountSports.com. Admission for all home matches is free.
Home Match One: Gardner-Webb (4-2) vs Western Carolina (2-4)
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 8
Time: 6 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, NC)
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Twitter: @CatamountVB
From the Service Line:
Western Carolina broke into the win column at the second annual Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic over the weekend, earning a five-set win over Bellarmine and a four-set victory over Jacksonville State. The Catamounts closed competition on Sunday, suffering a tight five-set defeat to Big East counterpart Seton Hall.
Senior Zoe Zudans paced a balanced offensive attack for the Catamounts in Asheville, finishing with 34 kills, adding nine digs and a pair of blocks. Zudans had nine kills in each of the three matches with a season-best 14 against Seton Hall on Sunday. Sophomore Tatum Sharp added 30 kills along with a conference-high-tying 16 blocks last week, as the Loveland, Colo. native was a mainstay offensively and defensively. Sharp had a pair of matches with double-digit kills, including a season-high 12 against Seton Hall, while also tallying a career-best seven blocks against Bellarmine.
Junior transfer Sophia Marini recorded 27 kills, followed by 24 from freshman Ashlyn Cobb and 23 from classmate Aiyana Harris as six Catamounts had double-digit kills spanning the 14 sets. Cobb picked up a pair of double-doubles in the two wins against Bellarmine (10 kills, 13 digs) and Jacksonville State (10 kills, 10 digs).
Senior Katie Boney again filled the stat sheet in the assist column with a conference-best 134 assists to accompany 21 digs, 11 blocks, and six kills. Boney tallied her third double-double of the season with 42 assists and 12 digs against Bellarmine. Sophomore Elise Gurley led the Catamounts with 62 digs, including a career-best 23 digs against Bellarmine.
WCU put together a strong weekend on the block with 28 stops, led by Sharp with 16 stops, Boney with 11 blocks, and Harris with eight rejections.
Entering Tuesday's Match:
The Catamounts look to win their home opener for the fourth time in the last five years, winning the first home contest in 2022, 2023, and 2025.
Individually, Boney leads the SoCon with 248 assists and is fourth with 8.86 assists per set. Sharp paces the league with 31 blocks and is fifth in rejections per set at 1.11, while Gurley is second in digs at 113, one of only three SoCon players to be over 100 digs. The Catamounts also have a trio of players in the top 10 in aces: Cobb is tied for second with 11, Boney is tied for sixth at nine, and junior Halley Tang is tied for 10th at seven service aces.
As a team, WCU leads the SoCon in kills (302), is first in assists (283), first in blocks (58), first in blocks per set (2.07), first in digs (407), fifth in digs per set (14.54), and is first in service aces (44).
Catamount Career Record Watch:
Boney became the 12th player in school history to eclipse 2,000 career assists moving past the 2K mark over the opening weekend at Clemson.
With her assist work in Asheville, the Brookhaven, Ga. native surpassed Catamount standout Sarah Janourova for 11th all-time in the program's record book for assists. Janourova (2021-2024) finished with 2,122 career assists, usurped by Boney, now with 2,139 assists to sit in sole possession of 11th in school history.
Boney needs just 83 helpers to move into the top 10 and surpass Cristina Nazario (2013-15), who had 2,221 during her time with WCU. The 2025 SoCon Setter of the Year, Boney looks to build off an eye-popping junior season that saw her tally over 1,000 assists for the first time by a Catamount since Hannah Price (1,023) in 2019.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Gardner-Webb (4-2) – 2025 RPI 278
Western Carolina and Gardner-Webb meet for the first time since 2014, when WCU swept the Runnin' Bulldogs 3-0 in Cullowhee. The two did meet during the 2024 preseason.
Western Carolina holds a 6-3 record against Gardner-Webb in matches played in Cullowhee as the Catamounts look to earn their third straight home win in the series.
Gardner-Webb is 4-2, riding a three-match win streak with victories over NC Central, UNC Wilmington, and Alabama State. The Runnin' Bulldogs dropped two of their first three matches against Lehigh and Cleveland State.
Freshman outside hitter Peyton Slone leads Gardner-Webb through the opening six matches with 61 kills, as she's tallied three straight matches with 10+ kills, including 21 against UNCW last weekend. Sophomore right side Sarina Galyean has 57 kills as she's hitting at a .375 clip with three straight double-digit kill performances. Junior setter/libero Olivia Lefebvre has totaled a team-best 99 assists along with 30 digs as she tallied a 21-assist, 11-dig double-double against NCCU.
Freshman outside hitter/libero Kiera Vazquez leads Gardner-Webb with 58 digs, while senior outside hitter Nicole Osborne has 47 digs. Galyean paces GWU with 15 total blocks.
The Runnin' Bulldogs are led by third-year head coach Alex Hinsey, who has spent nine seasons in the head coaching ranks, with stops at NCAA Division III Elizabethtown and Mary Washington before going to Gardner-Webb in 2024. Gardner-Webb was picked seventh in the eight-team Big South Preseason Poll.
What's Next for the Catamounts:
Following Tuesday's home opener, Western Carolina hits the road for its final nonconference tournament of the season as the Catamounts head up the mountain to Boone for the Mountaineer Classic, hosted by Appalachian State, which begins Friday, Sept. 11.
WCU faces North Florida, William & Mary, and the host App State over the three-day tournament. The Catamounts battle UNF on Friday at 6 p.m. before facing William & Mary at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Tournament play concludes against the Mountaineers at 2 p.m. on Sunday. All three matches will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), and live stats will be provided via a link 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).
