BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University volleyball team received national recognition this week with the release of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Coaches Top 25 poll and the RickKern.com RKPI poll.
After a weekend that featured a sweep of Sun Belt Conference opponents Arkansas State and Arkansas-Little Rock, the Lady Toppers (13-4, 2-0) received two votes in the AVCA poll and are one of two teams from the Sun Belt Conference to receive votes. Middle Tennessee received 22 votes.
The Lady Toppers are ranked No. 36 in the RPKI poll, which is a ranking based on the NCAA RPI and has historically matched its results year after year. WKU is the top Sun Belt Conference team, with MTSU at No. 39, and the sixth overall team in the South region.
"I think it is much deserved for this group of kids," WKU coach Travis Hudson said. "We have put them through a really tough pre-conference schedule, and they have stood up to it quite well. It is good to see us being recognized on a national level."
Hudson hopes the strong play of his team, which picked up a win over No. 32 Missouri earlier this season, will help secure a bid to the NCAA tournament.
"The schedule was put together with that in mind -- to prove to people nationally that we can play with anybody in the country -- and certainly, I think that getting noticed a little bit through both of those rankings is an important step in terms of getting in minds of people on the committee," Hudson said.
WKU continues Sun Belt action this weekend at home, taking on Florida Atlantic on Friday and FIU on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
