Catamount Volleyball Prepares for Golden Eagle Invitational
By Steven Grandy
Director of Media Relations
The Western Carolina volleyball team looks to add to its three-match winning streak this weekend as the Catamounts head to Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tenn., to compete in the Golden Eagle Invitational.
WCU is slated to face Evansville on Friday at 2 p.m. ET followed by an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup with Tennessee Tech before closing out the tournament on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern against Northwestern. All three matches will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live stats available on CatamountSports.com.
Behind sophomore Bailey Hartsough’s third straight double-double, the Catamounts downed mountain rival UNC Asheville on the road in three sets on Tuesday evening. Hartsough had a team-best 12 kills and equaled that with 12 digs. Junior Destinee Dorsey was credited with a team-best 14 digs while fifth-year senior Sydney Carlson was credited with 24 assists.
Evansville is 2-2 following a 3-0 home victory over Southern Indiana on Tuesday night. Reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week Alondra Vazquez led the Purple Aces with 13 kills. In addition to its win against Southern Indiana, Evansville also owns a win over Marshall along with losses to Marshall and Wright State. Friday’s match will be the first meeting between the schools.
Tennessee Tech is looking for its first win of the season after suffering three 3-1 setbacks to Central Arkansas, Missouri State, and Oral Roberts at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational last weekend in Springfield, Mo. The Catamounts earned a 3-1 victory over Tennessee Tech last season as part of the Bama Bash Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern is 3-0 following three sweeps of Pacific, UTEP, and Northeastern as they hosted the Wildcat Classic last weekend. Alexa Rousseau, Desiree Becker, and Leilani Dodson were selected to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team with Rousseau earning MVP honors. Saturday’s match will be the first meeting between the Catamounts and Wildcats.
After the weekend’s tournament, the Catamounts head to the NC State Tournament in Raleigh on Sept. 8-9 and will face Indiana and TCU along with the host Wolfpack.