CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Rookie Andrea Barman posted nine total blocks while
chipping in seven kills, helping Presbyterian College defeat Western Carolina
3-1. Game scores were 25-19, 28-30, 25-23, 26-24.
The Blue Hose improve to 5-4 on the season while the Catamounts fall to 3-7.
In addition to Barman establishing career highs in blocks (nine) and kills
(seven), Lisa Shelley posted a match-high 19 kills. Fellow fourth-year standout
Amanda Kettles chipped in 14 while Presley Mabrey had nine.
Redshirt-senior Kilee Ruppe dished out 44 assists, nine more than WCU did as a
team. Defensively, Ashley Dunlap totaled a match-best 16 digs. Carolyn Fabros
reached double figures with 11. Ruppe almost had a double-double after
accounting for nine digs while Shelley had eight. Elizabeth Heineman added
four.
Collectively, the team tallied 54 kills and 44 assists. The squad also had 56
digs.
In the first set, Barman came out strong. She stuffed home a kill to open the
match and her block of Amanda Chaparro made it 3-0. However, the Catamounts
took the lead before PC tied the set at six apiece.
Shelley then took Ruppe's pass and found the court for a 7-6 advantage. The duo
repeated the performance on the next point. An attack error by WCU and an ace
by Dunlap made the score 10-6. Another error and an ace by Dunlap put the score
at 12-6 as PC ended the 6-0 spurt.
The Blue Hose widened the gap to seven, 19-12, before the Catamounts attempted
to claw their way back into the set. Despite the home team pulling within two,
22-20, the Blue Hose won the set 25-19.
The third set saw the teams play even through the first 38 points, 19-19.
Neither team gained more than a three-point edge. WCU then went ahead 21-19
before head coach Chris Belshe's team responded in fine fashion.
A kill by Shelley and an attack error by the Catamounts tied the contest at 21.
With the score knotted at 23, Shelley put the Blue Hose ahead for good off a
fine pass from Ruppe. She set the ball perfectly while Shelley sliced the ball
between two defenders for the point. The set ended after Shelley's superb
serve, which ended up getting WCU to have an attack error for the 25-23
victory.
An error by the Catamounts helped PC jump out to a 1-0 lead in what turned out
to be the fourth and final set. The teams were tied at six apiece before Mabrey
slammed home a ball played by Ruppe. Barman then continued her block party for
an 8-6 advantage by the Blue Hose.
However, the home team would not go quietly. WCU took a two-point lead and
maintained it until PC closed the gap, eventually tying the score at 17. A
miscue by the home squad and a kill by Mabrey completed a 4-0 run and the score
stood at 19-17 in favor of Belshe's Blue Hose.
WCU countered, taking a 22-21 lead. Rachel Rutan and Kettles combined for a
block to tie the set. After a point by the Catamounts, Kettles tied the score.
Trailing 24-23, PC called a time-out. Senior Amanda Kettles found Kettles on
the outside, who blasted home the tying point. With the score at 24 apiece, the
Blue Hose had all the momentum. Ruppe found Mabrey for the lead and the 2009
Big South Conference all-freshman team member stuffed the home squad to end the
match with the 26-24 victory.
Fans can keep up with Blue Hose volleyball and the rest of PC's 16
intercollegiate sports teams at
www.Twitter.com/BlueHoseSports. There, fans will find exclusive updates you can't find anywhere else. Check out the BlueTube on www.GoBlueHose.com or www.youtube.com/BlueHoseAthletics for videos.
PC fans can also get an in-depth look behind the scenes with Kilee's Korner.
Kilee Ruppe's blog can be found here. It was last updated Sep. 15 at 2:30 p.m.
