CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel fell in straight sets to Western Carolina (20-25, 16-25, 19-25) on Friday afternoon inside McAlister Field House.
 
The Citadel (0-12, 0-2) lost its second consecutive conference match against Western Carolina (5-7, 1-0), with the Catamounts leading the Bulldogs in kills 48-29. Both teams were tied with four aces each.
 
Rachel Reininger led the Bulldogs with nine kills, followed by Gwen Berry with six and Karlie Vogelheim with five. Reininger also contributed 12 digs and two aces.
 
Greta Pleuss paced The Citadel offense with 27 assists.
 
Janelle Blue and Courtney Graham each led the Catamounts with 11 kills.
 
Set 1
Two kills and a service ace from Reininger gave The Citadel an early 3-2 lead to start the first set. The Catamounts took advantage of two attack errors from the Bulldogs and a kill to regain the lead at 11-9. The set was tied at 14-14 on a service error committed by Western Carolina, but a 3-0 run from the Catamounts gave them the lead at 17-14. Kills from Jordyn Sims and Reininger narrowed The Citadel's deficit to just one at 19-18. The set slipped away from The Citadel as Western Carolina went on a 5-1 run to end the first set at 25-20.
 
Set 2
Western Carolina led 3-1 over The Citadel, but a kill by Savannah Freeman and an attack error by the Catamounts tied the set at 4-4. The Citadel took the lead on a 4-0 run, thanks to a solo block from Luci Lippelgoos, two attack errors, and an ace from Freeman, going up 9-8. The Citadel maintained a 15-13 lead, but Western Carolina responded with an 8-0 run, turning the set around and leading 21-15, ultimately winning the set 25-16.
 
Set 3
Two early kills from Berry tied the set early in the third at 3-3. The Catamounts then took a five-point lead at 12-7 after a four-point run. The Bulldogs fought back with their own 4-0 run, featuring two kills from Berry, a kill from Reininger, and an attack error, narrowing the gap to 12-11. The Catamounts' lead grew to 20-12 off an 8-1 scoring run. The Citadel's late 3-0 run wasn't enough as Western Carolina would take the third set at 25-19.
 
Up Next
The Citadel is on the road for its next two conference matches at Furman on Oct. 3 and Mercer on Oct. 4.