Western Carolina Holds Off Davidson in SoCon Thriller, 3-2

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CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Despite 11 kills and 21 digs from Caroline Brown, Davidson came up just short in a 3-2 (25-13, 14-25, 16-25, 25-21, 19-21) setback at Western Carolina in Southern Conference volleyball action Saturday evening at the Ramsey Center.

The Wildcats fall to 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the league, while the Catamounts improve to 12-4 and 2-0.

Taylor Pisel (13) and Emily Franklin (11) also hit the 10-kill plateau for Davidson, while Anastasia Owen and Rachel Earnhardt finished with 22 and 13 digs, respectively. Mikayla Derochie assisted on a match-high 53 of the Wildcats' 60 kills, setting a new career high for assists.

Jordan Timmermann and Caitlin Piechota paced four Catamounts in double figures with 14 kills each. Piechota also led the way with 20 digs, while Christina Nazario set up 52 of her club's 68 kills.

After Western Carolina reeled off three straight to go up, 12-9 in the deciding game, the Wildcats responded with a 5-1 spurt capped off by a Brown kill and Derochie and Sewell block assist to retake the lead, serving for the match, 14-13. Out of a timeout, the Catamounts extended the game and match as the two teams traded points and combined to fight off six match points, before WCU broke a 19-19 deadlock with a kill and Wildcat error to secure the win.

As a team, Davidson connected on .201 of its swings, while Western landed .197.

Highlighted by 15 kills and a .364 attack percentage in the opening set, Davidson raced out to a 13-5 advantage and didn't allow the Catamounts closer than seven the rest of the way.

Much like the Wildcats in game one, Western Carolina got off to a fast start and didn't look back. The Catamounts scored the first five points of the frame and stretched the margin to double digits before evening the match, 1-1, with a 25-14 win.

Trailing early in the third, Davidson slowly chipped away and tied the score, 11-11, on a WCU attack error. After the two teams traded the next four points, the Catamounts closed the set on a 12-3 spurt to grab their first lead of the match.

The Wildcats took control of a back-and-forth game four with a 9-1 run to go up, 16-9. After Western Carolina used a lengthy spurt of its own to cut the deficit to two, 23-21, Davidson forced consecutive errors to force a fifth and deciding game.

The Wildcats will begin a three-match homestand Tuesday evening with a 7 p.m. contest against Winthrop at Belk Arena.

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