BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University volleyball team won the Billiken Invitational with 3-0 victories over Lipscomb (25-20, 25-12, 25-21) and tournament host St. Louis (25-23, 25-23, 25-19) on Saturday at Chaifetz Pavilion in St. Louis.
"I think we took a big step forward today," WKU coach Travis Hudson said. "We played two really, really quality opponents, both NCAA Tournament teams a year ago, and we certainly bounced back and played well against Lipscomb and played St. Louis on their home court with a chance to win this tournament, and our kids came out and really competed.
"The thing we were looking for more than anything else was just a level of competitiveness. We knew St. Louis wanted to come out and compete to win their own tournament, and I thought our kids stood up to that test really well."
Senior Emily Teegarden led WKU (10-4) with 12 kills against St. Louis (5-7). Junior Tiffany Elmore finished with 10 kills and seven blocks on the way to being named the tournament's most valuable player.
Teegarden was named to the all-tournament team.
"Tiff continues to shoulder the responsibility of being a go-to player on this team," Hudson said. "She and Emily Teegarden were both all-tournament and really carried us offensively through the weekend."
Sophomore Jordyn Skinner added nine kills, seven digs and five kills. Junior Lindsay Williams posted seven kills and a team-high .538 hitting percentage.
Lady Topper sophomore Sarah Rogers recorded 16 digs to lead the defense, and freshman Ashley Potts added nine digs.
The first set went back and forth between the two teams with six ties and four lead changes. With the set tied at 18-18, WKU scored the next two points to take the lead for good. The Lady Toppers last trailed at 16-15 before scoring three straight points for an 18-16 advantage.
Neither team led by more than three at any point in the second set. With the game tied at 22, WKU scored three of the final four points to win, two of them coming on kills by Teegarden.
Down 9-7 in the third set, WKU went on a 10-2 run to take a 19-11 lead. The Lady Toppers led by five or more the rest of the way to earn the 25-19 win.
Against Lipscomb, Elmore led the offensive attack with 16 kills and a .625 hitting percentage while committing only one attack error. Teegarden added nine kills, and Williams recorded eight kills and a .533 hitting percentage.
The Lady Toppers finished the match with a team hitting percentage of .333 and 44 kills, and they limited Lipscomb (9-5) to a .196 hitting percentage.
Defensively, Skinner tied a season high with 16 digs, and Rogers ended the match with 14. Senior defensive specialist Kelly Potts recorded 10 digs.
Freshman setter Melanie Stutsman posted 35 assists and three service aces.
Lipscomb scored the first six points of the first set on its way to an early 8-1 led. Down 11-5, WKU scored seven of the next eight points for a 12-12 tie. A kill by Teegarden put the Lady Toppers in front 13-12, and they never trailed again.
WKU led throughout the second set after Skinner opened with a service ace. The Lady Toppers finished the set with 17 kills and a .517 hitting percentage. The Lady Toppers, who led by as many as 10, tallied four of the final five points, ending the set on back-to-back kills by Elmore and a second service ace from Skinner.
WKU took an early 7-2 lead in the third set and maintained at least a two-point advantage for the rest of the game. The Lady Bisons later fought off four consecutive match points, but a service error gave WKU the 25-21 victory.
The Lady Toppers return to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they host Belmont at E.A. Diddle Arena.
WKU-Lipscomb Box
WKU-St. Louis Box
