The Western Carolina University volleyball team is anticipating a competitive home-opening match on Friday, Oct. 1 against the Mercer Bears in the Ramsey Center. The match is slated to begin at 6 p.m. and the event is free to attend for everyone.
For the Catamounts, this contest is crucial to the beginning of their Southern Conference (SoCon) portion of the schedule, as they face a storied rival.
In the spring 2021 season, as the No. 3 seed, WCU was defeated by the second seed, Mercer, in the conference semifinal game, 3-2. Mercer would then go on to lose to the No. 1 seed Samford in the SoCon championship game.
Sophomore outside hitter, Ali Schreiber, says that the loss still resonates with herself and her teammates, after taking two of three from the Bears, last spring.
“Having Mercer as our home-opener gives us a chance to come out and prove ourselves. Not only to the fans, but to the SoCon, to show that we mean business,” Schreiber said.
The Catamounts, who share a 4-7 record with Mercer as of Sept. 21, have spent the last four weekends on the road. Their most impressive win came over Big East opponent, Villanova, on Sept. 4, 3-0.
Despite their early-season woes, Schreiber believes that the talent on the court will stand out. She said that the team will be playing under an entertaining offensive scheme.
“We are playing at a quicker speed this year. I think that people are going to be pleasantly surprised with the level of volleyball that they will be seeing,” said Schreiber.
The Catamounts are aiming for their first volleyball conference regular-season title since 1989, and their first SoCon conference championship since 1986 .
