BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Volleyball head coach Travis Hudson claimed his 600th victory on Friday night, as the Lady Toppers opened Conference USA play with a 3-0 sweep of rival Middle Tennessee. WKU improved to 10-5 on the season, while the Blue Raiders fell to 4-9. The victory marked the Lady Topper program's 56-consecutive win over a conference opponent inside E.A. Diddle Arena.
"A lot goes through your mind when you realize how long you've been at this," Hudson said in reflection. "When you realize where this program has come from and all the amazing kids who have come through here and I've watched grow up and grow into young women and my mind's racing through all those people that have come through here over my time and I'm certainly appreciative."
"It's been a trying year for me and my family in a lot of ways and it's nice to have a night where something good is going on," Hudson continued. "I'm just so blessed to have this life that I've lived and have been able to do it here in Bowling Green and at the school that I attended and call home. People have asked me a lot of times why I've chosen to stay here over the course of my career and it is nights like tonight that make me ask 'why wouldn't somebody?'."
First set action on the court saw the Lady Toppers and Blue Raiders trading blows, as neither side gained a clear advantage over the other. Prior to a 5-1 scoring run by WKU late in the set, neither side led by more than three points. Rachel Anderson and Lauren Matthews each registered four kills on eight swings in the frame as the Red and White claimed the 25-21 first-set victory.
WKU wasted no time in set two, jumping out to a 5-0 advantage. The Lady Toppers were the first to double digits with a 10-3 margin. MTSU used its second timeout trailing 15-6 in the frame as WKU worked to a 25-14 victory – matching its largest margin of victory in a frame on the season. WKU's block doubled its efforts in the second set, pushing its match total to six. After 10 ties and seven lead changes in set one, set two saw zero of either.
Out of the long break, Middle Tennessee grabbed a quick 4-2 advantage before the Lady Toppers would respond with a 5-0 run and never look back en route to a 25-19 third-set victory. WKU worked at its best offensive clip of the night with a .314 rate in the frame. Katie Isenbarger led the way with four kills in the final set.
With so many offensive weapons, no Lady Topper finished with double digit kills on the night. Matthews led the WKU squad with nine while Anderson was right behind her at eight. Taylor Bebout, Isenbarger and Sophia Cerino each finished with five while Kayland Jackson added four and Hallie Shelton chipped in one.
Defensively, Payton Frederick notched her fourth-straight match with double-digit digs, finishing with a team-best 11. Shelton added seven while Emma Kowalkowski recorded six.
At the net, Matthews notched a career-best five blocks – two solo, three assist – to lead WKU in the category for the first time of her career. Anderson added four while Jackson chipped in three.
HUDSON ON ALYSSA CAVANAUGH BEING IN ATTENDANCE:
"It was great to see Alyssa. It's the highlight of my night to see her and to have her here on this night, when she was a part of so many of those wins. This all has been really special."
RACHEL ANDERSON ON HUDSON'S 600TH WIN:
"It's just so awesome the accomplishments he's had. To be here the past, almost going on four years and all the wins that we've had, multiple 20 win seasons and every year when we set goals we have such high expectations because we have so much trust in him. Just all the people who have shown up tonight for him, it shows how great of a coach he's been consistently, reaching out to the community. We're all so happy for him."
NEXT UP:
WKU Volleyball will close out its homestand this Sunday at noon, as the Lady Toppers host Charlotte.
TOPPER NOTES:
- WKU now leads the all-time series against Middle Tennessee 46-16. The Lady Toppers have claimed the last 11 match ups with the Blue Raiders and are now 26-7 at home against MTSU.
- Run of the match: Set three beginning with WKU trailing 4-2, the Lady Toppers went on a 5-0 run to take a lead they would not relinquish.
- WKU's sweep of MTSU marked the 56th-consecutive victory at home over a conference opponent for the Lady Toppers. The streak dates back to the 2011 Sun Belt days.
- Lauren Matthews led the Lady Toppers in stat categories for the first time of the season with 9 kills and 5 blocks.
- Payton Frederick recorded her fourth-straight double-digit kill match with 11 and has now led WKU in the category the last three matches and six times total this season.
- Head Coach Travis Hudson became just the 19th active DI coach to win 600 matches with tonight's victory. He is just the 58th coach in DI volleyball history to achieve the feat and the first to do so in Conference USA history.
How to Follow the Lady Toppers: For complete information on WKU Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUVolleyball and head coach Travis Hudson at @TravisHudsonWKU.
