Aug. 24, 2007
DALLAS, Tex. - Western Carolina volleyball (0-1) opened the 2007 campaign with a valiant showing at the SMU Tournament, putting together a strong performance, before falling to host SMU (1-0) 3-0 (30-24, 30-17, 30-26) Friday at Moody Coliseum.
Freshman Ali Rook made a spectacular debut in a Western Carolina uniform recording a double-double in the first match of her Catamount career. The Naperville, Illinois native led the club with 12 kills and also recorded 10 digs. She had a .233 attack percentage committing just five errors in 30 attempts.
"Ali was phenomenal, she did a great job," said Head Coach Stephanie Dragan. "Her club team really prepared her to play at the collegiate level."
Western Carolina came out swinging in game one. The Catamounts matched SMU almost point for point and had the game tied at 15 before the Mustangs started to pull away. SMU went on a 14-8 run to put the game out of reach.
"The team came out swinging to start the match," Dragan said. "Our team came after SMU and really played hard."
Dragan admitted that Western Carolina lost its focus a bit in game two. The team got into an 11-4 hole early and could never climb out of it.
"We are a young team and I think that youthfulness showed in game two," Dragan said. "The freshmen looked timid and we made some costly errors. However, I am glad we got the nerves out of the way and I think we can build on that."
The intensity returned in game three and the Catamounts showed flashes of what is to be expected of the team in the months to come. Western Carolina pushed SMU and tied the game at 19 before the Mustangs went on a 5-1 rally.
"We came out after halftime with a new resolve and fire," Dragan said. "We adjusted to their middles, I am very proud of the team."
Sophomore Katie Hennessey had 27 assists in the match and libero Liz Rondone led the Catamounts with 20 digs.
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