Nov. 14, 2013
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University volleyball team (25-5, 15-1) closes out the 2013 regular season this weekend, as the Lady Toppers welcome South Alabama (13-13, 8-8) on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. and Troy on Sunday, Nov. 17 at noon for Senior Day.
Game Information
• Friday, November 15; South Alabama at 7 p.m.; E.A. Diddle Arena
• Sunday, November 17; Troy at noon; E.A. Diddle Arena
Viewing Information
• Gametracker available for both matches at WKUSports.com
• Live video broadcast available for both matches at WKUSports.tv
Promotions
• Friday vs. South Alabama
o Team Appreciation Night--All area middle and high school volleyball teams will receive free
admission. A team roster must be faxed to the WKU ticket office prior to the game.
• Sunday vs. Troy
o Senior Day--The 2013 seniors will be recognized prior to the match.
Versus South Alabama/Troy
The Lady Toppers hold strong advantages against South Alabama and Troy, including Travis Hudson having a combined 46-1 record versus the teams from the state of Alabama.
Against South Alabama, WKU is 39-9 in program history. The Lady Toppers have won the last 27 meetings, dating back to the last loss in 1995, Hudson's first season, and have won the last 21 contests in straight sets. In this season's game in Mobile, Noelle Langenkamp totaled a match-high 15 kills while Heather Boyan added 11. Senior Melanie Stutsman dished out 44 assists and a pair of aces.
WKU has never lost a match to Troy, winning all 20 matches in the series. The Lady Toppers have also only dropped one set to the Trojans in 2007's 3-1 win. The past 12 games have all been sweeps. The last game with Troy was WKU's first SBC game of the season, as sophomore Haley Bodway's 12 kills and redshirt senior Paige Wessel's 10 led WKU to the sweep. Stutsman recorded a double-double of 38 assists and 14 digs while Boyan had five blocks.
SBC Regular-Season Champions
With the win over Georgia State on Wednesday, WKU claimed the Sun Belt Conference Championship outright. It is the 11th time in program history that WKU has taken the regular-season crown while the 10th time under 19-year head coach Hudson.
25-Win Season
The Georgia State victory gave WKU its 25th win of the season. It is the 12th-straight year that the Lady Toppers have accumulated 25 or more wins in a single season. It is the 19th 25-win season in program history and 14th with Hudson at the helm.
The win was also the 15th in Sun Belt Conference action this season, tying the past two season's SBC win total. Fifteen victories are the most wins in conference play in WKU history. This year brings the most SBC games to the scheduled slate with 18, the most since 17 games played from the 2006-2009 seasons.
Seniors Close out Regular-Season Career
Five seniors will play their final scheduled matches at WKU and Diddle Arena this weekend. Janee' Diggins, Ashley Potts, Lindsay Spears, Melanie Stutsman and Paige Wessel have seen great success in their time on The Hill. The group has been to three NCAA Tournaments, notched three SBC regular-season titles, won two SBC Tournament titles and holds a career record of 116-22, a winning percentage of .841. The seniors are 49-6 at home and 59-4 in SBC action during their four-year careers.
Melanie Stutsman Ties All-Time Assist Record
With 39 assists against Georgia State, senior setter Melanie Stutsman became WKU's all-time career assist record holder, tying Sara Noe's mark of 5,172. The Floyds Knobs, Ind., native is one of three active players in the NCAA to have over 5,000 assists in their career, and the second Lady Topper to hit the milestone. Stutsman is currently tied with Noe for fourth in the SBC career assists record while second in career assists during the rally-scoring era behind MTSU's Leslie Clark's 5,692.
Stutsman's 11.66 assists per set this season has her ranked 12th in the nation while first in the SBC.
Ashley Potts Named Senior CLASS Award Finalist
WKU defensive specialist Ashley Potts was named one of 10 national finalists for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, given annually to student-athletes who excel both on and off the court. With her achievements in the award's four areas of excellence--community, classroom, character and competition--Potts will now face a nationwide vote to determine one-third of the final result. Fans can vote once a day at seniorCLASSaward.com now until Dec. 9.
Potts is the first WKU student-athlete to be named a finalist since baseball infielder Matt Payton was selected in 2010.
The Louisville, Ky., native is up against nine other finalists, including Jennifer Cross (Michigan), Natalie Hagglund (USC), Emily Hartong (Hawaii), Caroline Jarmoc (Kansas), Chloe Mann (Florida), Ariel Scott (Penn State), Bailey Webster (Texas), Lauren Wicinski (Michigan State) and Carly Wopat (Stanford).
To view full games notes, click here.
For all the latest news and information on WKU volleyball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program on Twitter via @TravisHudsonWKU and @WKUVolleyball.
