The win moved the Lady Toppers to 27-2 on the year and 11-0 in the Sun Belt, while the Lady Raiders fell to 25-3 and 9-2 in the conference.
Senior setter Caron Blotch led the Lady Topper effort as she recorded just the eighth triple-double in Western history, finishing with 50 assists, 15 digs and a career-high 16 kills. It is the first triple-double by a Lady Topper since Jamie Ritterscamp pulled off the feat against Kentucky on Oct. 8, 1996.
After three early ties in game one, Western took the lead for good when a 7-3 run opened up a 10-6 lead on an Alli Christian service ace. MTSU pulled within three when a kill from Lindsey Sisco made it 11-8, but the Lady Toppers were able to pull away, opening up a 19-11 advantage on a kill from Crystal Towler. Again, the Lady Raiders battled back within four points when a WKU attack error made it 21-17, but a kill by Blotch on the next point sparked a run of six uanswered Lady Topper points as they opened up a 27-17 lead. The teams traded points, and Christian put down a kill to close out game one for a 30-19 Western victory.
Middle Tennessee stormed out in game two, scoring seven of the first 10 points, but Western fought back to gain a 13-12 lead after a block from Jessie Wagner and Jenna Gideon. The game was tied seven more times before the Lady Toppers scored three of four points to pull out to a 23-20 lead on another Blotch kill. However, a service error by the Lady Toppers on the next point sparked a 7-0 run by MTSU as it grabbed a 27-23 advantage. The Lady Toppers were unable to regroup, as Middle held on to even the match with a 30-25 win.
Western never trailed in game three after scoring four of the first five points. MTSU got within a point a few time early, but each time WKU was able to extend its advantage, eventually pulling out to a six-point lead when a Gideon kill made it 18-12. The Lady Raiders scored the next three points to cut Western’s lead in half, but the Lady Toppers were again able to hold off the threat. Leading 20-17, Blotch put down a kill as Western scored eight of the next 11 to open up a 28-20 lead on a kill from Megan Argabright. After swapping the next three points, Blotch recorded her sixth kill of the game to give WKU a 2-1 lead with a 30-22 game-three win.
The Lady Toppers carried that momentum into game four, scoring six of the first eight points. Again, Western never trailed in the game, pulling out to a 16-10 lead on a kill from Jessie Wagner. MTSU got as close as four when a Quanshell Scott kill made it 18-14, but the Lady Toppers scored six of the next seven to extend their advantage to 24-15. The lead reached double figures when Blotch’s final kill of the night made it 27-17. Western scored the next point to make it 28-17, but MTSU rallied off four straight to make it 28-21. Western came back with kills from Argabright and Christian to close out the match with a 30-21 victory.
Argabright tied her season high with a match-best 18 kills, pacing five Lady Toppers in double figures. While Blotch added 16 kills, Gideon posted 14. Towler and Wagner added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Three Lady Toppers also recorded double-digit digs, led by Blotch’s 15. Ashley Deignan finished with 14, while Christian added 11. Wagner also posted eight total blocks in the match.
Andressa Lyra led MTSU with 13 kills, and Alicia Lemau’u posted a team-high 13 digs.
Western will close out the regular season on Sunday (Nov. 13), hosting Troy at 1 p.m. (CST) at E.A. Diddle Arena. Prior to the match, WKU will honor its four season — Blotch, Towler, Wagner, and Abby Borror.
