Nov. 12, 2000
Miami, Fla. - Junior left-side hitter Tara Thomas errupted for mach highs of 21 kills and 24 digs and junior middle hitter Jessica Willard added 19 kills and hit .405 as Western Kentucky won a share of its first Sun Belt Conference divisional title since 1991 witha 3-1 victory over Florida International in SBC volleyball action Sunday afternoon at Golden Panther Arena. The Lady Toppers finish the regular season tied for first place in the Sun Belt East Division with Arkansas-Little Rock. They also assure themselves of the top seed in the East for the upcoming conference tournament.
Thomas' performance was good enough for her fourth 20-20 match of the season, making her the first non-setter in school to record four 20-20 matches in her career.
In addition to thomas, senior left-side hitter Melissa Starck had 13 kills and 13 digs for her 13th double-double of the year, and her ninth in the last 11 matches. Sophomore setter Sara Noe dished out 70 assists and had 10 digs for her 10th double up, while junior outside hitter Natalie Furry chipped in with 14 kills and 15 digs for her ninth double-double.
The match scores were 15-3, 7-15, 15-11, 15-4.
Western Kentucky will now prepare for the 2000 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, which begins next week at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, La. The Lady Toppers have a bye in the first round of the tourney, and will play at 2:30 p.m. (CST) Friday in a tournament quarterfinal match against an opponent to be determined.
