Bowling Green, Ky. The WKU volleyball team made it two in a row defeating New Orleans in five to extend their season record to 16-9 overall and 5-5 in the Sun Belt Conference.
In the first set, the Lady Toppers scored first but could not maintain the momentum quickly falling behind and not being able to recapture the lead through the rest of the set. Led by junior Aquila Orr who posted five kills in the set, the Lady Toppers picked up 12 kills and committed only five errors for a .269 hitting percentage.
The Lady Toppers didn't score in the second set until they were down by three points but after regaining the lead at 12-11 by a kill by Orr, the Lady Toppers never fell behind again winning the set by three. In the set, the Lady Toppers racked up 16 kills and were led by junior Brittany Bowen who recorded five of those kills and only one error for a .667 hitting percentage.
In set three, it was WKU who jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and fought off a rally by New Orleans to take a 2-1 lead in the match. After New Orleans tied the match at ten, the Lady Toppers went on a 4-0 run to take control of the match off three errors by New Orleans, a kill by Megan Argabright and an ace by junior Abbie Siljendahl. In addition to posting 12 kills in the set, the Lady Toppers forced New Orleans to committ six errors while only allowing them six kills for a .000 hitting percentage.
In set four, the Lady Toppers tallied seven costly errors that allowed New Orleans to tie the match at two and send the match into a crucial fifth set. The Lady Toppers and the Privateers stayed close throughout ten points but New Orleans outplayed the Lady Toppers in the end but ultimately fell to the Lady Toppers in set five. In set five, WKU easily gained a 10-5 lead before allowing New Orleans to fight their way back into the game. But, the Lady Toppers held on in the end picking up the 16-14 victory.
Overall, the Lady Toppers racked up 64 kills, 60 assists, eight aces, 63 digs and 23 total blocks. New Orleans finished the match with 53 kills, 45 assists, six aces, 63 digs and 14 blocks. Additionally, WKU finished with a .227 hitting percentage and New Orleans finished with a .173 hitting percentage.
Individually, the Lady Toppers were led by Orr who racked up 20 kills, one dig and two blocks for a .354 hitting pecentage. Argabright also finished with 20 kills while senior Julia Noe posted 52 assists and senior Kelly Hofmeyer 27 digs.
The Lady Toppers will conclude their Sun Belt Conference weekend tomorrow at 1 p.m. CDT when they host Louisiana-Lafayette. Live stats and live streaming of the match will be available on www.wkusports.com
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