BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University volleyball team will see its first home action of the season as they Lady Toppers host the WKU Tournament this weekend at E.A. Diddle Arena.
"It is always nice to be in Diddle Arena," WKU coach Travis Hudson said. "We've played well here through the years and we'll need to play well this weekend to have a chance to get any wins."
The two-day tournament will feature teams from Xavier, Wake Forest and LSU. Four matches will be played Friday with the first beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday's two matches are slated to be played at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
WKU opens with matches against Xavier and Wake Forest at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. matchup with LSU on Saturday.
The Lady Toppers improved to 6-1 on the season with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-20) sweep of Lipscomb on Tuesday night at Allen Arena. For the sixth straight match, WKU limited its opponent to a hitting percentage under .200. The Bison hit .076 while committing 20 attack errors. The 3-0 loss was the first at home for Lipscomb since falling to UAB in straight sets in 2007.
WKU junior Jordyn Skinner led the offense with 10 kills, followed by senior Tiffany Elmore and sophomore Janee' Diggins who each tallied nine kills. Skinner also paced the defense with 14 digs. Sophomore Ashley Potts had 11 digs while junior Sarah Rogers has nine digs. As a team, the Lady Toppers recorded 11 blocks, led by Lindsay Williams with seven block assists.
Xavier enters this weekend with a 4-2 record after winning a pair of matches over the weekend at the Maryland Invite. The Musketeers earned sweeps of Quinnipiac and VCU. As a team, Xavier is averaging 13 kills and 2.47 blocks per set while limiting opponents to a .185 hitting percentage.
Wake Forest opened its season last weekend with a 2-2 record at its own Deacon Invitational, picking up wins against Charleston Southern and North Florida. The Demon Deacons are led by seniors Carlin Salmon and Kadija Fornah who are each averaging 2.5 kills per set. The duo has combined for 69 of the team's 142 kills.
"Two good programs with a lot of good players," Hudson said. "Any team this weekend is susceptible to taking a loss at any time. I think every match is going to be up in the air very much like last weekend for us. We found a way to get two last weekend and we just need to take every single set of every single game and try to do the things that will give us a chance to win."
LSU is 6-1 on the season with its lone loss coming against Miami in a five-set thriller that saw the Hurricanes edge the Tigers 15-8 in the final set. Last week, LSU swept the Hotel Encanto Classic with wins over Arkansas-Little Rock, Grambling State and Mexico State. The Tigers are led by preseason All-SEC honorees Desiree Elliott and Michelle Williams. Elliott leads the team with 3.58 kills per set while Williams is top with 1.38 blocks per set.
"LSU is a dominate team," Hudson said. "They are really athletic. They are a very good offensive team. They pose a lot of problems for you and it will really put what we are doing defensively to the test."
WKU and Xavier are tied 6-6 in the all-time series between the two programs, including a 3-3 tie in Bowling Green. The Lady Toppers will face off against Wake Forest for only the second time while Saturday's meeting with LSU is the first in program history.
For complete results and a recap of this weekend's action, please visit WKUSports.com. Live stats and video streaming (for select WKU matches) will also be available on the site.
WKU TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 9
10 a.m. Wake Forest vs. LSU *Home team listed first
12:30 p.m. WKU vs. Xavier
4:30 p.m. LSU vs. Xavier
7:00 p.m. WKU vs. Wake Forest
Saturday, Sept. 10
11 a.m. Xavier vs. Wake Forest
2 p.m. WKU vs. LSU
Match Notes
