MIAMI - The Western Kentucky University volleyball team enters the Sun Belt Conference tournament as the No. 1 seed and opens play Thursday with a 4 p.m. matchup against No. 8 seed Troy at U.S. Century Bank Arena on the campus of FIU.
"Obviously, we feel like we are built to win a championship," WKU coach Travis Hudson said. "But you can't look at the big picture when you are in tournament play. You've got to go one at a time. I just want us to continue to do the things that got us to the point where we are at right now."
WKU (28-3, 15-1) has advanced to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament 13 years in a row, beginning in 1998. Last season, the Lady Toppers swept Louisiana-Lafayette in the quarterfinals and FIU in the semifinals before falling to Middle Tennessee in the championship match at Alumni Memorial Gym in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
"(We're playing) as well as we've played all year and that is all you can ask as a coach," Hudson said. "As late as 10 matches ago I didn't really feel good about what we were doing but I think we've had a really good 10-match stretch. We've played well in stretches and pieces throughout the year and I feel good about where we are."
WKU is 40-39 all-time in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, dating back to 1990. The Lady Toppers have won at least one game in the tournament nine years in a row. Under Hudson, WKU is 26-16 with three Sun Belt Tournament Championships.
Both previous times the SBC Tournament has been played in Miami, WKU has come away with a tournament title. In 2008, the Lady Toppers swept New Orleans and in 2002 WKU won a 3-2 match against New Mexico State.
Troy (16-14, 6-10) split their weekend matches against FlU and Florida Atlantic, picking up a 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 27-25, 25-15) victory at home over the Owls.
The Trojans last qualified for the Sun Belt Tournament in 2005, their first season in the league. The Trojans have also finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2003 when they finished the regular season at 13-12 before splitting two matches in the Atlantic Sun tournament.
"We've had good success against Troy in the last two matchups," Hudson said. "But anyone who's ever been around athletics understands that tournament play is another animal and we respect them a lot. I respect Sonny (Kirkpatrick) who's done a great job with his team getting them here and we're going to have to be ready. We're going to have to play well. Troy is here for a reason and we need to understand that."
Leading the way for Troy's defense is sophomore Courtney Cohen. She posted 17 digs in Troy's victory over Florida Atlantic on Friday night, pushing her season total to 497 and setting a new Troy single-season record. Cohen topped the previous school record of 488, which had stood since 1997, in the third set of the match.
WKU leads the all-time series with Troy 16-0 after sweeping the regular-season series between the two teams. The Lady Toppers have dropped only one set in the series with the Trojans.
The two teams have faced each other once in Sun Belt Tournament action. In 2005, WKU defeated Troy 3-0 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
"Usually there is a tension about the team in practice for the tournament," Hudson said. "But we were pretty relaxed out there in practice today and I think that speaks to the experience of this group."
The winner will face either No. 4 seed FIU or No. 5 seed Denver in Friday's semifinal match. Thursday's other action will include No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee against No. 7 seed Arkansas-Little Rock at Noon followed by No. 3 Arkansas State vs. No. 6 North Texas at 2:30 p.m.
Match Notes
