CULLOWHEE, NC – Despite a career-high 18 kills by UNC Greensboro sophomore Lauren Keiser, the Spartans lost 3-0 to Western Carolina in Southern Conference women's volleyball Sunday afternoon at the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts won the match by scores of 30-26, 30-21, 30-22.
Keiser, who hails from Lambertville, MI, was far and away UNCG's leader on this day. She put away a match-best 18 kills against only three attack errors for a season-best .395 hitting percentage. Keiser's previous kill standard was 16 against Lipscomb on September 4, 2004 during her freshman season.
Senior Lauren Richards added eight kills for UNCG (2-18, 1-9 SoCon), while freshman Liz Benzschawel had five of her own. Senior Adrian Hicks dished out 33 assists, while junior Christin Heverly recorded 12 digs.
Sophomore Meredith Harmon and senior Ellie Talbot led Western (6-16, 5-5 SoCon) to its first three-game sweep of the season. Harmon paced the Catamount offense, finishing with a team-high 16 kills, including six in the decisive game three, while committing a single error for a .750 attack percentage. Talbot recorded a double-double effort with 13 kills and 10 digs.
Western started the day well, racing to a 7-0 advantage in game one, forcing the Spartans to take an early timeout. The pep talk worked as UNCG rallied to tie the match 9-9, then take a 10-9 advantage. The two clubs battled back-and-forth until the Catamounts broke a 26-26 tie by scoring four consecutive points, two off Harmon kills, to take the 1-0 match lead.
WCU again went ahead early in the second game, taking a 7-1 lead. The Catamounts were able to stretch the advantage to 17-7, scoring four consecutive points off the serve of sophomore Danielle Spitzer. Western was able to finish off the game, 30-21.
Western seized control of the see-saw game three, tallying four-straight points to turn an 18-16 lead to a 23-16 advantage. The Catamounts were able to close out the match with a 30-22 win, finishing it off with Krista Neumann service ace.
UNCG takes to the floor next Saturday, October 22 as the Spartans visit Georgia Southern in Statesboro, GA for a 7 pm encounter. Meanwhile, Western Carolina returns to action on Tuesday evening, traveling to Chattanooga to battle the Lady Mocs at 7 pm.
AGATE
Western Carolina def. UNC Greensboro 3-0 (30-26, 30-21, 30-22)
UNC Greensboro (2-18, 1-9 SoCon) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Lauren Keiser 18-0-1; Lauren Richards 8-0-4; Liz Benzschawel 5-0-1; Adrian Hicks 3-0-2; Lori Collins 3-0-0; Hilary Overby 2-0-1; Ashley Smith 1-0-1; Totals 40-0-5.0. (Assists) - Adrian Hicks 33. (Dig leaders) – Christin Heverly 12; Liz Benzschawel 9.
Western Carolina (6-16, 5-5 SoCon) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Meredith Harmon 16-0-3; Ellie Talbot 13-2-2; Heather Koontz 7-2-1; Krista Neumann 6-2-0; Meghan Boyle 3-0-0; Danielle Spitzer 3-0-1; Elaine Castle 1-0-0; Totals 49-6-4.0. (Assists) - Meghan Boyle 24; Kate Willard 10. (Dig leaders) - Ellie Talbot 10; Heather Koontz 9; Kate Willard 9; Meghan Boyle 8.
- UNCG -
