Nov. 10, 2000
RUSTON, La. - Junior middle hitter Jessica Willard (Louisville, Ky./Assumption HS) blasted a match-high 18 kills, hit .447 and tied her career best with seven blocks, leading Western Kentucky to a come-from-behind 3-1 (9-15, 15-7, 15-5, 15-12) win over Louisiana Tech Friday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference volleyball action at the Lambright Sports Complex. The victory assures WKU of a first-round bye in the upcoming conference tournament and moves the Lady Toppers back into a tie for first place in the SBC East Division entering the final weekend of the regular season.
Junior left-side hitter Tara Thomas (Louisville, Ky./Assumption HS) was one of three Western players to record double-doubles, picking up her league-leading 20th twin killing of the season with 13 kills and a team-high 16 digs. Senior left-side hitter Melissa Starck (Louisville, Ky./Assumption HS) and sophomore setter Sara Noe (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) also charted double-doubles in the victory -- Starck had 13 kills, 13 digs and hit .520 for her 11th double dip of the year, while Noe logged 53 assists and 10 digs for her ninth double-double of the campaign.
Game one was tight from the outset with neither team able to establish a rhythm. Starck rifled a pair of aces and Willard and Noe teamed on a block to give Western a 9-7 lead. Louisiana Tech (8-24, 0-15 Sun Belt) then put its service game to work, scoring the last eight points of the game, four on aces, to take a 15-9 victory.
The Lady Toppers responded well in the second game, racing out to a 9-1 lead. But, the Lady Techsters would not go quietly, going on a 6-1 run to close the lead to 10-7 and force a WKU time-out. Following the stoppage, the Lady Toppers regained their focus, scoring the last five points and knotting the match with a 15-7 game two win.
Western (24-7, 12-3) kept the pressure on in the third set, tallying 13 of the first 15 points. Tech countered with three markers of its own, but junior outside hitter Natalie Furry (Normal, Ill./Normal Community HS) ended matters with a kill, giving the Lady Toppers their first match lead with a 15-5 victory.
The fourth game mirrored the first, as both teams jockeyed for momentum. A five-point surge by Western gave the visitors a quick 7-3 lead. But, each time the Lady Toppers tried to put the Lady Techsters away, they were met with a solid push from the hosts. Tech rallied to cut the deficit to a single point twice and later got within 12-10. A pair of Lady Techster attack errors briefly stemmed the rally, but after dismissing one WKU match point, Tech scored twice more and turned back two more Lady Topper match points to get within 14-12. However, Western found the winning solution on its fourth try, as Thomas hammered a kill off a Tech defender to seal the victory.
Western Kentucky will wrap up the regular season Sunday at 11 a.m. (CST) when it meets conference foe Florida International in Miami. The Lady Toppers can clinch a share of their first Sun Belt divisional title since 1991 with a win over the Golden Panthers.
-- WKU --
