CULLOWHEE, N.C.—Kelsey Benorden led three UNC Asheville hitters in double-figures with 18 kills and 18 digs to lead the Bulldogs to a 28-26, 28-30, 27-25, 25-12 victory at Western Carolina on Tuesday night.

Benorden recorded her sixth double-double of the season helping UNC Asheville (6-4) move to 3-0 on an opponent’s home floor this season.  Heather Burns recorded a career-high 17 kills and Lauren Ficker added 16 kills to lead the Bulldogs offensively.  Kaitlyn McDaniel had 25 assists and 10 digs for her first double-double of the season. Big South Libero of the Week Raquel Miotto added 17 digs for the Dogs defensively.

Western Carolina was led by Carrie Minogue (0-10) who had a match-high 19 kills and Liz Rondone who had a match-high 21 digs.

“Western played with a lot of extra motivation tonight with it being their first home match,” said UNC Asheville head coach Julie Torbett. “The first three sets were very close, but I was proud that we never panicked. Our slide was very effective and we made some adjustments with our serving as the match went on. I am very happy with a win on the road. Kelsey (Benorden) had another strong match as did Lauren (Ficker) and Heather (Burns). I thought Kaitlyn McDaniel played really well and her serve gave us a lift tonight.”

The first three set all went past the required 25 points before a winner was determined. The opening set saw 16 ties. Western had the largest lead of the set at 14-7, but Asheville battled back with 10-3 run to tie the set at 17. The teams traded side outs until 26-26. A WCU attack error and a kill by Ficker gave the Dogs the win.

The second set saw 12 ties as Western Jumped out to a 6-2 lead. Asheville responded and knotted the set at 9-9.  The Dogs led briefly at 11-9 but the Cats scored the next three points and did not trail the rest of the set although they did not lead by more than two points.  With the set tied at 28-28 a service error and an attacking error by Asheville gave WCU the set and knotted the match at 1-1.

In the third set, Western continued to hold a slight lead through the first part of the set. The Cats largest lead was at 14-10. Asheville tied the set at 20 and took its first lead at 21-20. The Cats tied it again at 24-24 and after a service ace had set point at 25-24 but a service error tied it for the fifth time at 25-25. Benorden’s kill gave the Dogs set point and Miotto’s service ace gave Asheville a 2-1 lead.

The Bulldogs took the mystery out of the match jumping ahead 4-0  and 7-1 in the fourth set. Asheville never trailed in the final set hitting .393 in set while WCU hit -.037. Cindi Miller had a seven-point run off her serve helping the Dogs build a 17-6 advantage. Asheville had match-point at 24-11 before Ficker ended it with her final kill of the night.

Asheville will be back on the road on Saturday, Sept. 20, as it plays two matches in Wilmington, N.C. The Dogs face Virginia Tech at Noon and UNC Wilmington at 5 p.m.