With the 2019 Southern Conference volleyball regular season concluded on Saturday evening, Western Carolina is officially seeded third in the upcoming volleyball championship slated for Friday through Sunday at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.
Winners of nine-straight including a 3-1 victory in Saturday evening’s regular-season finale at ETSU, the Samford Bulldogs (21-5, 15-1 SoCon) claimed the regular-season championship and the top seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Volleyball Championship.
The annual conference tournament opens on Tuesday as eighth-seeded The Citadel hosts ninth-seeded Chattanooga – winners of two-straight – in the first-round match-up with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Samford. Quarterfinal action from the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C., commences at 11:00 am on Friday, Nov. 22
Western Carolina claimed the No. 3 seed in the tournament, finishing five spots ahead of its predicted finish in the preseason poll. The Catamounts (17-12, 11-5 SoCon) will take on No. 6 Mercer (13-16, 6-10) in the final match on Friday, set for approximately 6:30 pm. Head coach Karen Glover’s squad defeated Mercer in both regular-season meetings, winning 3-2 on Oct. 4 in Macon, Georgia, and downed the Bears 3-1 on Nov. 2 in Cullowhee.
WCU has won the SoCon tournament championship three times in program history, seeking its first tournament crown since 1986. The Catamounts also have five tournament runner-up finishes, most recently advancing to the championship game in consecutive seasons in 1997 and 1998.
The semifinal round of the tournament will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23, with matches scheduled for 2:00 pm and 4:30 pm, before the tournament culminates at 2:00 pm on Sunday, Nov. 24, with the championship match.
The tournament champion will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship