BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University volleyball team looks to remain undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play and extend its winning streak when it takes on Sun Belt East Division rival Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Murfreesboro, Tenn., at Alumni Memorial Gym.
The match will be a battle between the only two Sun Belt teams that remain unbeaten in conference play and marks the start of a five-game road swing for the Lady Toppers who will face Troy and South Alabama, Oct. 8 and 9, followed by Florida Atlantic and FIU, Oct. 15 and 16.
"I know it is going to be a very high intensity matchup, it always is when we play one another," WKU coach Travis Hudson said. "And I anticipate they'll have a great crowd and really be ready to play."
WKU (15-4, 4-0 Sun Belt Conference) extended its current winning streak to seven matches over the weekend with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-20) win against Florida Atlantic on Friday and a 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-14) victory over FIU on Saturday at E. A. Diddle Arena.
"I think we are two of the hotter teams in the country right now," Hudson said. "We are both playing extremely well and we've had a lot of really good matchups in the last several years and I don't think there are a ton of surprises from either one of us in terms of what we want to do and so I expect it to be a long, very close match."
Middle Tennessee (14-4, 5-0) volleyball team continued rolling this past weekend, extending their winning streak to 11 matches by knocking off defending Sun Belt regular season champion FIU and Florida Atlantic.
FIU had entered play Friday on a 20-match winning streak within conference play, but fell at the hands of Izabela Kozon and the Blue Raiders. The senior outside hitter caught fire in the second set with nine kills en route to tying her career high with 25 in the category to go along will 11 digs.
Saturday's meeting between FAU and the Blue Raiders featured a similar story. Kozon once again got on a roll in the second frame on the way to match-high 20 kills in just three sets to go along with 10 digs.
WKU leads the all-time series with Middle Tennessee 35-12, including a 13-6 advantage on the road. However, MTSU has won seven of the last 11 meetings between the two teams, including three in a row. The Blue Raiders won all three matches the two teams played last season, 3-2 and 3-1 in the regular season and a 3-1 win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on their way to the 2009 SBC Tournament title.
Both teams have continued to make national names for themselves as both teams are ranked in the top 40 in the first NCAA women's volleyball RPI rankings released Monday. The Lady Toppers come in at No. 34 and the Blue Raiders followed just three spots away at No. 37. Both teams also received votes in this week's AVCA poll.
"I think it is terrific for the league," Hudson said. "I think it was a far-fetched idea several years back to even have a Sun Belt team receiving national attention and both of our programs have been fortunate to be in that position some over the last few years. It is a heavyweight matchup. It is two great, great teams and it should be exciting for anybody who is there to watch."
For complete results and a recap of Wednesday's action, please visit WKUSports.com. Live stats will also be available on the site.
Match Notes
