The Catamounts' 2001 record was 21-11 overall and 15-5 in the Southern Conference to tie for second in the league.
This season marked Western's fourth consecutive 20-win season, which ties a school record for consecutive 20-win campaigns.
Western Carolina has the longest active 20-win season streak in the Southern Conference and is the only team to finish among the league's top four from 1998-2001, winning over 73% of its conference matches.
The Catamounts had the best attendance in the Southern Conference and the league's second-best winning percentage. Western's 15-1 mark in the Ramsey Center, perhaps the finest facility in the SoCon, was the school's best since going undefeated (9-0) in 1986.
Head Coach Michelle Hansen has compiled a 99-71 record in her five years at Western Carolina. Her .582 winning percentage is the second-best in school history and is the only coach to have four consecutive 20-win seasons with the Cats.
This past season, Coach Hansen won her 100th career match in her seventh season as a collegiate head coach.
Graduating seniors Christy Attebery and Bri Milan-Williams were both named All-Southern Conference in 2001. It marked Attebery's third honor, while it was Milan-Williams' second.
Attebery was named to the AVCA All-South Region team, becoming just the second SoCon player to ever earn the honor.
Attebery completed one of the best careers in the history of the Southern Conference, setting the SoCon and WCU record for career kills. She additionally leaves WCU as its all-time leader in kills per game, digs and digs per game, while ranking second in career aces. She was an All-UNLV Tournament pick this season. Attebery was three-time All-Southern Conference selection and led WCU to an 84-51 record over her four seasons.
Milan-Williams additionally closed her career in impressive fashion, leaving WCU as its all-time leader in assists and assists per game. She also ranks third on the WCU career aces list. Milan-Williams started the season on a high note, earning MVP honors at the Catamount Clash volleyball tournament.
Attebery was a two-time SoCon Player of the Week, while rising junior Sara Komosinski earned the honor once.
Western Carolina finished the season 12th in the nation in digs per game. Individually, Attebery ranked 30th in the NCAA in digs.
Among the SoCon leaders, the Catamounts finished the 2001 regular season as the league leader in digs per game, while ranking third in blocks per game, fourth in kills per game, fifth in hitting percentage, fifth in assists per game and sixth in aces per game.
Individually, four Catamounts ranked among the league leaders...
* Christy Attebery: 1st in digs, 3rd in kills and 10th in aces
* Bri Milan-Williams: 4th in assists and 9th in digs
* Sara Komosinski: 5th in hitting pct. and 5th in blocks per game
* Pam Stein: 3rd in blocks per game
Attebery's 3.87 digs per game ties for the second-best single-season average in WCU history. Komosinski's .310 hitting percentage ranks fifth on the WCU single-season list. Stein's 0.94 blocks per game and Milan-Williams' 11.41 assists per game also ranks fifth on the WCU single-season top 10.
This past spring, Western Carolina's volleyball team was recognized by he AVCA as one of the nation's top 10 team Grade Point Averages in the nation (3.44 GPA for the season). Western's volleyball team led all WCU athletic programs with a 3.60 team spring GPA. All 11 team members posted a 3.0 or higher, including a perfect 4.0 by Shari Harder.
Southern Conference Records Over the Past Four Years
Winning All-SoCon Team W L Pct. Selections 1. Davidson 60 18 .770 5 2. Western Carolina 57 21 .731 7 3. Chattanooga 55 23 .705 8 4. Furman 51 27 .654 6 5. East Tennessee State 46 32 .590 5 6. College of Charleston 43 35 .551 7 7. Appalachian State 34 44 .436 2 8. Georgia Southern 29 49 .372 2 9. UNC Greensboro 23 55 .295 0 10. Wofford 22 56 .282 0 11. The Citadel 0 60 .000 0
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