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BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— Senior leadership showed on the court by Heather Boyan, as the middle hitter led the WKU volleyball team (17-4, 5-0) to a straight-set win (25-20, 25-17, 25-18) on Tuesday night over Charlotte (12-10, 1-4) in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Boyan led the Lady Toppers with 12 kills and six blocks, including three solo blocks from the Munster, Ind., native. Freshman Alyssa Cavanaugh followed with nine kills while junior Noelle Langenkamp added seven. As a team, WKU totaled 43 kills on a .299 hitting mark with floor leader Jessica Lucas dishing out 31 assists to go with nine digs, five kills and three blocks.
Sophomore Georgia O'Connell tabbed a team-high 12 digs while fellow classmate Kaelin Grimes chipped in nine digs. Both of the Louisville products were one of the five Lady Toppers to tally service aces, as freshman Jackie Scott had one, senior Mollie Pajakowski had two and junior Rachel Engle led all players with three.
For Charlotte, Claire Kreuz led the team with nine kills while Shelby Green added 13 digs. Britney Leigh Held put up 21 assists, six kills, six digs and two blocks in the match.
With Boyan leading the team after five kills and three blocks in the frame, WKU opened the contest with a 25-20 win in set one. Down early, a 6-0 run that was fueled by two solo blocks from Boyan put WKU ahead 10-7. After an O'Connell ace set the advantage at 15-10, Charlotte had a pair of 3-0 sprees to get within two at 22-20; however, WKU closed out the set with a block from freshman Sydney Engle and Langenkamp.
Into the second frame, WKU pulled away from the 49ers with a 5-0 scoring drive to have the scoreboard read 13-9. The Lady Toppers caused havoc on the 49ers' serve receive in the set, collecting five service aces in the game, as back-to-back service aces by Pajakowski put WKU ahead 20-13 before back-to-back aces from R. Engle sealed the win at 25-17.
After the break, WKU came out of the locker room with sloppy play, allowing Charlotte to notch a 7-1 lead. The Lady Toppers slowly pulled themselves out of the deficit, tying the set at 13 and 14 points each. Taking over the lead after another S. Engle and Langenkamp block tandem, WKU shut the book on Charlotte after closing on a 5-1 run to win 25-18.
WKU continues its home Conference USA stand on Friday, Oct. 10 against Marshall at 7 p.m. CT before finishing on Sunday, Oct. 12 versus North Texas. Friday's match will be "Girl Scouts Day" with all Girl Scouts receiving free admission while family and friends can purchase unlimited $3 tickets.
The 2014 WKU volleyball season is being presented by the United States Marines. This season, the Marines and WKU Athletics are working together to promote the outstanding athletic and academic achievements of our female student-athletes. The Marines are proud to work with and support these future leaders of America.
For all the latest news and information on WKU volleyball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program on Twitter via @TravisHudsonWKU and @WKUVolleyball.
