The Bulldogs will play their first home match of the 2009 season tonight, when they face off against area rival Western Carolina at the Justice Center. The Catamounts hold a 23-17 all-time advantage in matchups against the Bulldogs, but Asheville came out on top last season with a victory in four sets in Cullowhee.
Western Carolina is a much improved team from last season, when they posted a 6-26 record (3-15 conference) for a last-place finish in the Southern Conference North Division. This can be attributed in part to Western’s grueling non-conference schedule - the Catamounts still turned in victories over Elon and the Citadel, both of which provided a real challenge for the Bulldogs in last weekend’s NCCU Invitational Tournament. The year is off to an equally demanding start for Western, which opened its season over the weekend at the Kentucky Invitational Tournament. There the Catamounts faced 21st-ranked Kentucky, reigning Sun-Belt champion Florida International, and Northwestern. Western lost all three matches in straight sets, but the early challenge has no doubt aided their preparation for tonight’s battle. The Catamounts return every starter from last season, and are led by senior setter Katie Hennessey, who was named to the Kentucky Invitational All-Tournament Team for her efforts last weekend. Other standouts include senior libero Liz Rondone, whose 439 digs led the team last year, senior middle blocker Amanda Kerr, and sophomore middle blocker Carrie Minogue, who led the Catamounts with 252 kills.
Asheville returns most of the key contributors from last year’s victory over Western. Kelsey Benorden (18 kills, 18 digs) and Lauren Ficker (16 kills, 8 digs) led the attack, with Raquel Miotto contributing 17 digs, and a 25 set, 10 dig performance from Kaitlyn McDaniel. Tonight, the Bulldogs will have the added benefit of freshmen Holly Shelton and Chelsie Kenley, who performed well in the NCCU tournament. The team will hope to carry some momentum into this match from Saturday night’s five set, come-from-behind victory over the Citadel. Asheville and Western know each other well, so we can expect a highly competitive match. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. UNC Asheville students can attend at no charge. I will also be covering the game with live updates on the athletic department’s Twitter page, www.twitter.com/ashevilledogs
Prediction: UNC Asheville 3, Western Carolina 1
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