Western Carolina Volleyball Plays Samford in Cullowhee Series

Western Carolina volleyball opens a stretch of seven out of 10 matches on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center by hosting the Samford Bulldogs on Thursday, October 1, in Cullowhee, North Carolina, according to Western Carolina University reporting. The opening match of the back-to-back Southern Conference series serves as the program’s annual ‘Dig Pink’ event, where fans are encouraged to wear pink to raise awareness for breast cancer throughout October.

Match Schedule and Broadcast Details for the Southern Conference Doubleheader

The Southern Conference series features two consecutive matches at the Ramsey Center, starting Thursday, October 1, and continuing Friday, October 2, with both contests beginning at 6 p.m. Admission for all home matches inside the Ramsey Center is free of charge for fans. Friday’s match features a ‘purple-out’ theme encouraging supporters to wear purple to the game, and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with a paid subscription required, while live statistics for both nights are provided via Stat Broadcast as detailed by Western Carolina University.

Western Carolina enters the weekend looking to bounce back from opening-weekend conference losses on the road at UNCG, where the Spartans secured straight-set and four-set victories at Bodford Arena. Senior Zoe Zudans paced the Catamounts’ offense across those matches with a team-best 28 kills, highlighted by a season-best 18 kills on Saturday afternoon. Freshman Ashlyn Cobb added 21 kills, and sophomore Tatum Sharp contributed 17 kills for the squad. Senior setter Katie Boney distributed 71 total assists over the two matches, including 42 helpers on Saturday, while Sharp led the team at the service line with five aces. Defensively, sophomore Elise Gurley collected 31 digs, Boney recorded seven blocks, and Sharp added six rejections.

Statistical Leaders and Conference Rankings as October Begins

Katie Boney leads the Southern Conference and ranks sixth nationally with 566 total assists, while averaging 9.13 assists per set to sit fourth in the conference. Zudans starts October ranked eighth in the league with 165 total kills, and Sharp anchors the net defense by ranking second in the league with 64 total blocks and third in rejections per set at 1.03, placing her among national leaders in the category. Boney also stands third in the SoCon with 21 service aces, and Gurley holds the second spot in the conference with 261 digs, maintaining a top-15 position nationally in total digs with a 4.21 digs-per-set average that ranks third in the league. As a team, Western Carolina ranks second in the Southern Conference in kills (711), assists (661), service aces (92), and sets played (62), while leading the conference in digs (925) and standing third in blocks (112), tied for sixth nationally in sets played and tied for fifth nationally in total digs as October opens.

On the career milestone front, Boney ranks ninth in the program’s record book for career assists after reaching the 2,000-assist milestone earlier this year as the 12th player in school history. Boney currently holds 2,457 career assists and needs 350 helpers to pass Shari Harder, who recorded 2,806 assists between 2000 and 2003 to sit eighth in program history.

Scouting the Samford Bulldogs

Samford arrives in Cullowhee holding a 5-7 overall record and a 2-0 mark in Southern Conference play, carrying a three-match win streak built on three consecutive four-set victories against UAB followed by back-to-back wins over ETSU. Both teams share a common opponent in Jacksonville State, having each secured four-set wins over the Gamecocks earlier in the season. Senior outside hitter Ally Cordes leads the Bulldogs with 168 kills, ranking seventh in the Southern Conference, and has posted six double-doubles, including a 31-kill performance in a five-set win over Belmont while averaging 12.09 attacks per set. Freshman outside hitter Maggie Kalisz has contributed 107 kills with seven double-digit outings, and redshirt freshman Alison Ohlinger paces the visitor’s offense with 469 helpers, ranking fifth in the league with 9.98 assists per set alongside 17 service aces. Defensively, Cordes leads Samford with 134 digs, supported by junior Brianna Hamilton (127), sophomore Brooklyn Drumwright (124), and Ohlinger (105), while freshman Hazel Slusher leads the conference in blocks with a league-best 66 blocks, helping the Bulldogs average 2.57 blocks per set under head coach Keylor Chan, who enters his 11th season at the helm.