GAME ONE

To begin set one Louisiana Tech jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead before the Hilltoppers were able to gain control. The Bulldogs and Hilltoppers traded points back and forth before the Hilltoppers jumped to a 19-16 lead which ultimately led to WKU winning set one 25-18.

WKU came out firing in the second set pulling out to a 5-0 lead behind senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox. The Bulldogs closed the gap to make it a 10-7. Despite Louisiana Tech closing the gap the swings from WKU were too much for Techs defense and WKU took set two 25-14.

Much like in the first set the Bulldogs and Hilltoppers traded points before WKU was able to pull away late in the set making it a 23-17 lead. The Hilltoppers put the set and match away after two back-to-back aces from Cox made it 25-17.

GAME TWO

The first set was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than three. WKU looked to get something going with the set tied 17-17, and Kenadee Coyle led the charge as the Hilltoppers scored eight out of the next 11 points. 

The Hilltoppers jumped out to a big lead in the second set and never looked back, dominating with a 25-10 win. Louisiana Tech only trailed 6-4 early, but the Hilltoppers dominated by out-scoring the Bulldogs 19-6 for the remainder of the match. 

Louisiana Tech fought back in the final set, leading early 14-13. But the Hilltoppers went on another run with five straight points by Kenadee Coyle to set the tone for the rest of the match. WKU would win 25-19, sweeping Louisiana Tech for the second time on the weekend. 

Freshman outside hitter Alivia Skidmore had a dominant showing, with 19 kills in the match. Coyle and Cox added on with nine kills. It was a full team effort as defensive specialist Abby Schaefer led the defense with 12 digs. 

The Hilltoppers will look to continue their 13-game win streak next weekend as they take on the UTEP miners in a doubleheader.

Sports Reporter Austin Ricer can be reached at Austin.rice714@topper.wku.edu

Sports Reporter Peyton Reid can be reached at Peyton.reid502@topper.wku.edu

The Hilltoppers are coming into their weekend series after surviving two five set matches against the FIU Panthers. Louisiana Tech is coming into the series after being swept twice by UTEP.

The Hilltoppers have a balanced offensive attack with five hitters having triple digit kills with senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox leading the way with 266 kills. The offense is set up by redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer who has nearly reached 800 assists on the season which is the second most assists in NCAA. 

The defense for the Hilltoppers has been superb, spearheaded by sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele who has racked up 114 blocks which is second in NCAA up to this point.

Louisiana Tech is led by junior outside hitter Giulia Bonifacio who has accumulated 152 kills along with ten service aces so far this year. The defense has been set up by senior middle blocker Charlize Williams who has racked up 79 blocks.

The Hilltoppers have dominated the series against Louisiana Tech as they are 17-7. WKU has not lost since 1999 where Louisiana Tech won in five sets. The last time these two met was last season where the Hilltoppers swept Louisiana Tech in straight sets.

The first match is set for Friday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Sports reporter Peyton Reid can be reached at Peyton.reid502@topper.wku.edu.

In the first game of the weekend the Panthers took the Hilltoppers to the limit in five sets, however WKU was able to escape the five set thriller and take game one.

In the second game of the two game weekend series FIU took the Hilltoppers to five sets once again where WKU was able to escape winning both of the games this weekend.

The two games marked the first time since the beginning of Conference USA play that WKU was taken to five sets.

GAME ONE

To begin the first set, the Hilltoppers and Panthers traded points back and forth before a huge scoring run from WKU led by five kills from sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele gave WKU a 24-17 lead. Despite a small run from FIU, WKU put the set away 25-17.

In the second set the Hilltoppers jumped out to an early 6-2 lead after multiple attack errors from the Panthers. FIU could get nothing going as the hitters from WKU were too much. The Hilltoppers put the set away 25-14 after four kills from freshman outside hitter Faith Young.

The Panthers were in a win or go home scenario in the third set. FIU appeared to have WKU figured out as they came out firing. Led by sophomore outside hitter Courtney O’Brien, FIU took a 20-15 lead. WKU had an answer thanks to senior right side hitter Kenadee Coyle giving WKU a 22-20 lead. Despite this FIU had an answer and took the third set 25-23.

FIU started where they left off in the third set, jumping out to a huge 21-13 lead by O’Brien and freshman outside hitter Jillian Huckabey. The Hilltoppers tried to answer, going on a four point scoring run to make it 24-19, but the Panthers put it away 25-19.

The Hilltoppers looked to avoid the reverse sweep against FIU and did just that. Despite the two teams trading blows the attack errors from the Panthers paid dividends as the Hilltoppers closed the set and the match in five sets.

GAME TWO

FIU dominated the first set, taking it 25-14. Senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox and freshman pin hitter Alivia Skidmore led the offense with three kills each. Redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer and Coyle added three digs a piece. 

The difference between the first and second sets was staggering. The Hilltoppers dominated on defense to pull even with a 25-19 win. The defense held the Panthers to a .000 hitting percentage. Young led with three kills, along with Cox and Coyle. 

The Hilltoppers kept the momentum going with a close win in set three, pulling ahead 25-16. Cox dominated with six kills, while Coyle and Young added a block apiece. A breakout performance from junior libero Callahan Weigandt with two service aces added on a great team performance. 

Skidmore set the tone for the fourth set, taking over with four kills and a solo block, and senior outside hitter Katie Howard led the back row with three digs. The Hilltoppers got off to a fast start, leading by as much as seven early on. However, three separate scoring runs of at least three points by FIU was the difference, as the Panthers clawed their way back to take the set 25-21, sending the game to a fifth set. 

FIU led early in the final set 2-0, but the Hilltoppers took over with an 8-2 run and never looked back, taking the set 15-9 and avoiding the upset. Van De Wiele led with two blocks, and Cox added a solo block. 

The Hilltoppers will be back in action at E.A. Diddle Arena to face off against Louisiana Tech on Friday, Oct. 18 at 6pm.

The Hilltoppers look to continue to dominate in this matchup, as the Panthers haven’t won against WKU since 2010 and have only won eight times total in the series. 

Senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox has led on offense all season, totaling 235 kills and 27 service aces. Middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele anchors the defense, amounting 102 blocks this season. 

The Panthers are led by outside hitter Jillian Huckabey, who has 167 kills on the season, along with 14 service aces. If FIU will pull off the upset, they will need a strong performance from middle blocker Travel Morris, who leads the team with 42 blocks. 

“FIU’s got a lot of new faces this year like they have had the last few years and it’s taken them a while to find that connectivity,” Head Coach Travis Hudson said. “When you look at their individual pieces they’re a talented team.”

The games are set for Saturday, Oct. 12. at 1 pm, and Sunday, Oct. 13 at 11 am.

Sports reporter Austin Rice can be reached at Austin.rice714@topper.wku.edu.

The Hilltoppers came out strong again in game one against MTSU, sweeping their eighth match in a row. 

The Hilltoppers took the second game in the doubleheader, 3-1, improving to 6-0 on conference play.

Game One 

WKU came out strong early with a 4-0 run and never looked back, winning the set 25-16. Sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele led with four kills, and senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox added on with three. Van De Wiele also had a big set on defense with four blocks. 

The dominance continued in the second set with a 25-17 victory. Van De Wiele anchored the defense with three blocks, and Cox led the offense with four kills. Redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer added two service aces. 

MTSU fought back in the final set, trying to avoid the sweep. The set came down to the wire, as the Blue Raiders got within one, 24-23. The Hilltoppers showed resilience and put the Blue Raiders away, winning the set 25-23 and cementing their eighth sweep in a row. Senior right side hitter Kenadee Coyle took over with six kills, and freshman middle hitter Faith Young added two blocks to help the defense. 

In the sweep, Coyle broke the all-time single-game hitting percentage record with a perfect 1.000 scoring on all ten of her swings.

Game Two

The Hilltoppers came out in the first set and attempted to pull away. MTSU kept it close, being down only four, 13-9, before an unsuccessful challenge by the coaching staff of the Blue Raiders led to WKU pulling away and taking set one 25-16. 

To begin the second set the Hilltoppers jumped out to a 7-3 lead before MTSU had the answers making it only a 9-7 WKU lead. The Hilltoppers pulled away in the set via the swing of Cox and Coyle. The Hilltoppers were able to halt any momentum from the Blue Raiders as WKU took set two 25-14.

It appeared MTSU finally figured the Hilltoppers out in set three as they jumped out to an early 9-4 lead. After a much needed timeout WKU regrouped and made it a 10-9 MTSU advantage. After WKU recovered both teams traded points. Late in the set MTSU  pulled away and forced a fourth set, winning 25-22.

The set loss was the first for the Hilltoppers since Sept. 14, which was a 3-1 loss against Illinois.

WKU came out and took an early 8-4 lead in the fourth set and did not look back. With big serves from graduate libero Madyson Chitty the Hilltoppers took a 13-6 lead. After a spectacular set from Van de Wiele she was able to get the match winning kill as the Hilltoppers took the set 25-16.

The Hilltoppers improved to 13-6 (6-0 C-USA). They will travel to Miami this weekend to take on Florida International on Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13.

The wins on the weekend extended WKU’s win streak to seven games. The Hilltoppers have not lost a set in those seven contests. 

Game One

The Hilltoppers started right where they left off last week against Jacksonville State as the Hilltoppers took an early 13-9 lead in the first set behind the swing of freshman outside hitter Faith Young. Despite Kennesaw State’s best effort the Hilltopper swing was too much for the Owls as WKU took set one 25-18.

WKU did not take their foot off the gas in the second set as they took a 13-7 lead and did not look back after two service aces from senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox. Kennesaw State tried to get back into the set from kills by junior outside hitter Manu Johnsen, however another serving run by senior outside Katie Howard gave WKU an 18-10 lead. WKU went on to win the set 25-17.

It was sudden death for Kennesaw State as they looked to force a fourth set. It was the freshman duo of Young and outside hitter Alivia Skidmore who put the Hilltoppers up 20-12 late in the third set. Kennesaw State tried to close the gap with late kills by redshirt sophomore middle blocker Olivia Burrage but it was too little too late as the Hilltoppers took set three and ultimately the match 25-17.

Game Two

The first set was a back-and-forth affair as the point difference was never more than four points for either team. The Owls led the Hilltoppers in kills, but a strong set from Cox led the charge to a victory, taking the set 25-23. Cox took over with five kills and redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer added four. Sophomore middle-hitter Izzy Van De Wiele anchored the defense with two blocks. 

The momentum from the first set powered the Hilltoppers to complete domination, taking the second set 25-12. The defense was clicking, adding six service aces in the match. Junior middle hitter Gabby Wiehe and Skidmore led the offense with three kills each. 

The final set was business as usual for the Hilltoppers, similar to the second set. The Hilltoppers took the set 25-15 led by Van De Wiele with three kills. Bauer took over with two service aces and a block, and Cox added two service aces of her own. 

WKU continues the conference play grind with two matches against Middle Tennessee. The first is set for Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6 pm.

The Hilltoppers come into this weekend riding a five-game win streak, most recently knocking off Jacksonville State last weekend on the road to open up Conference USA play. 

“Great start to conference play, anytime you start on the road it’s hard and we knew it would be a challenge down at Jacksonville,” Hudson said. “We played well, we did some good things and the theme has been the same, we continue to get better and that’s the hope moving forward.”

The Hilltoppers are led by the swing of senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox who has racked up 192 kills. The Hilltoppers have found success with other attackers as well. Both senior right side hitter Kenadee Coyle and freshman outside hitter Alivia Skidmore have put up 123 kills. 

The Owls are led by junior outside hitter Manu Johnsen who has nearly 100 more kills than everyone on the team with 183. Last game Johnsen came away with 13 kills in a losing effort to New Mexico State. Kennesaw State went 1-1 last weekend against NMSU for their welcome into C-USA after leaving the Athletic Sun conference last season.

The Hilltoppers and Owls have met one time prior to this weekend, in 2019 where WKU swept Kennesaw State 3-0 in the NCAA tournament. 

The Hilltoppers have been at the top of Conference USA since joining the conference in 2014. WKU has not lost a regular season game in conference play since 2018.

GAME ONE

In the first set it was all WKU. The Hilltoppers came out firing, riding the wave from their undefeated Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic showing last weekend. Back and forth these two teams went until the Hilltoppers found themselves up 11-9 and never looked back. Lead by sophomore Middle Hitter Izzy Van De Wiele who had eight kills, WKU closed the set on a 14-point run to take set one 25-9

To begin the second set, the Gamecocks made adjustments where needed and contained WKU early on. Both teams traded points and kept it close until the Hilltoppers took a slight lead 21-19 and closed out the set due to the serving of senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox where the Tops won set two 25-19.

The Hilltoppers continued to apply the pressure on Jacksonville State and closed out the set and match in three sets. The Hilltoppers went on multiple runs in the third set, first making it 17-11 late and then 22-12 being led by serving from senior outside hitter Katie Howard. WKU continued their reign on top of C-USA winning the set 25-15 after a kill from Cox.

GAME TWO

The Hilltoppers led early and kept the momentum going, taking the set 25-20. Senior right side hitter Kenadee Coyle led the way with four kills and two blocks, and Van De Wiele added two blocks of her own. The WKU defense stepped up, holding the Gamecocks to a .216 hitting percentage. 

The second set was similar to the first, with the Hilltoppers taking the lead and never looking back. The Gamecocks made it tough with a few runs, but WKU held tough and took the set 25-19. Cox and freshman outside hitter Alivia Skidmore had four kills a piece, and Coyle added three of her own.  

The final set was a dominant showing as the Hilltoppers took a 25-15 win, sweeping the Gamecocks in back-to-back games. Skidmore took over with six kills, and Coyle added five more along with two blocks. 

With the wins, the Hilltoppers improve to 9-6 (2-0 in C-USA) on the season. 

WKU will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 4 as the Hilltoppers host their first C-USA game of the season against Kennesaw State. 

 “It’s time to start this conference journey all over again,” Head Coach Travis Hudson said. “We’re excited to get started in conference and reset, start 0-0, and see what the journey looks like.” 

 The Hilltoppers are led by senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox, with 171 kills on the season. Right side hitter Kenadee Coyle has also had a strong season, with 103 of her own. WKU has a balanced attack, as five players have ten or more service aces, led by sophomore middle hitter Gabby Weihe at 18.  

 Sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele has added to the strong defense in a big way, with 69.0 blocks, and senior libero Abby Schaefer leads the team with 138 digs.  

 WKU leads the series 3-0, with all three wins coming last season as the Hilltoppers swept the Gamecocks.  

 The Hilltoppers also hope to continue their dominance over the C-USA, as they haven’t lost a match in conference since 2022.  

 WKU went 7-6 through their non-conference schedule. Of the six losses, three came against current top 25 teams in Kentucky, Tennesse and Dayton. The others were against Big Ten schools Michigan State and Illinois as well as a 3-2 loss against previously ranked Marquette.  

With the six losses headed into conference play, Hudson said C-USA competition “thinks this is their year that they’re going to come and get us.” 

 “We lost six matches, and it was to four ranked opponents and two Big Ten teams,” he said. “I’m good with who we are.” 

 Jacksonville State is led by junior outside hitter Kayla Williams, with 185 kills on the season, along with 21 service aces. The Hilltoppers will need to be wary of senior setter Ellie Garrett, who has racked up 467 assists, anchoring the offensive core.  

 The Hilltoppers will look to extend their win streak to five, as they won three straight last weekend in the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic. 

WKU looked for momentum after losing all three of their games during the Hyatt Place Invitational last weekend, and that is what they did. The Hilltoppers swept all three games of the weekend.

 GAME ONE

To begin the first set against Arkansas State, the Hilltoppers got out to a good start and took a 12-5 lead after serving from senior outside hitter Katie Howard and multiple kills from senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox. However, the Red Wolves came back firing thanks to kills by junior outside hitter Abby Harris to cut the Hilltopper lead to two, 17-15. Despite the run from Arkansas State, WKU took set one 25-22.

Set two saw the teams trade scores until WKU went on a seven-point run to make it 14-11. This run from WKU came from errors by Arkansas State as well as serving from junior defensive specialist Callahan Wiegandt. The Red Wolves took a 19-18 lead late due to attack errors from the Hilltoppers. Regardless of the run from Arkansas State the Hilltoppers put the set away 28-26.

In the third set, the Hilltoppers put the match away after they jumped out to a 22-15 lead, led by kills from Cox as well as sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele. A kill from freshman outside hitter Faith Young ended the match, giving the Hilltoppers the win 25-20.

GAME TWO

Eastern Illinois and the Hilltoppers exchanged points back and forth to begin set one. Serving from Wiegandt and a couple of kills by redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer gave the Hilltoppers 13-6 lead. It was a balanced attack from WKU as Eastern Illinois was unable to get any momentum. The Hilltoppers put the set away 25-12 as WKU had 15 kills in just one set.

Much like set one the Hilltoppers came out hot in set two after a huge run set up by serving from defensive specialist graduate student Madyson Chitty to help the Hilltoppers jump out to a huge 17-3 lead. After the 14-point lead Eastern Illinois could get nothing going as WKU continued to roll and win set two 25-9.

WKU jumped out to a 18-7 lead after three kills from senior right side hitter Kenadee Coyle in the third set. After yet another lead the Hilltoppers put the set and match away 25-15.

GAME THREE

The Hilltoppers took a lead early in the first set against Austin Peay and never let go. The Governors looked to get back in the set with a three-point run to make it 15-13, however, WKU would go on to win 25-18 with 15 kills as a team. Coyle added four kills, while Cox led with five. 

The second set was a close one throughout, as neither team led by more than three for the entirety of the set. The Governors led late, 23-22, but WKU scored four out of the next five points and won the game 26-24, shutting the door on Austin Peay. 

The Hilltoppers dominated the final set, shutting the door on an Austin Peay comeback. Van De Wiele led the charge with three kills. It was never close, with WKU winning 25-13. 

The Hilltoppers are back in action next weekend as they travel to meet Jacksonville State in a two-game series. 

Photos: WKU volleyball sweeps the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic 3-0