Oct. 4, 2013
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - An all-around team effort from the Western Kentucky University volleyball team (14-4, 4-0) on Friday night gave the Lady Toppers their 30th-straight Sun Belt Conference regular-season victory, as WKU defeated Texas State (12-6, 2-1) in straight sets (25-23, 25-20, 25-16) at E.A. Diddle Arena.
"I'm really excited to get this win," WKU head coach Travis Hudsonsaid. "I know we were able to come away with a 3-0 win, but I come away with a lot of respect for Texas State. I think they are a very, very good team. I certainly think it will be a challenge when we see them again."
Redshirt senior Paige Wessel posted a match-high 10 kills, as she hit .625 on 16 swings and no errors. Sophomore Noelle Langenkamp was close behind with eight kills while she led the game with five blocks. Junior Heather Boyan and sophomore Haley Bodwayhad seven kills each, as WKU led the category 45-35 over the Bobcats.
Senior Ashley Potts came up big in two categories, as she had a game-high 14 digs to go along with three service aces. Junior Mollie Pajakowski and senior Melanie Stutsmanadded eight digs each while Stutsman also had 32 assists.
For Texas State, Ashlee Hilbun led the team with nine kills with Shelby Vas Matt following with eight. Sierra Smith notched 10 digs while Hilbun recorded four blocks. Texas State and WKU had eight team blocks each.
A close match from the get-go, the teams traded points and leads for a majority of the early part of set one. WKU pulled away at 16-13 after a pair of kills from Langenkamp and Bobcat error, but Texas State immediately tied it up and then used three-straight kills to pull ahead 22-19. After a WKU timeout, the Lady Toppers used a 5-0 run that included a kill from each Langenkamp and sophomore Rachel Engle, block assist from Wessel and Langenkamp, and two Potts service aces to rally past the Bobcats 25-23 in the first set.
WKU got ahead early in the second set, securing a lead of 9-4 after a Stutsman kill. Texas State tied it at 16, but a kill by Bodway followed by a block from Bodway and Boyan gave WKU distance at 19-16. The Bobcats got within two at 22-20, but Wessel and Engle kills closed the door at 25-20.
Eighteen WKU kills in the third set, led by Bodway's five and Wessel's four, gave WKU a 25-16 win to end the match. Five kills and two blocks out of the gate pushed WKU to an 11-3 lead and forced a Bobcat break. Momentum kept rolling with the Lady Toppers, pulling ahead 18-8 following a Potts ace and block from Engle and Langenkamp en route to the sweep.
WKU continues conference action on Saturday, October 5 against UT Arlington at 3 p.m. CT in E.A. Diddle Arena. All Hilltopper Athletic Foundation members get one free ticket with a valid WKU ID.
For more information on WKU volleyball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program on Twitter via @WKUVolleyball and @TravisHudsonWKU.
