Nov. 7, 2014 HATTIESBURG, Miss.— Falling in the first set for the third-straight match, the WKU volleyball team (24-5, 12-1) also repeated the action of rallying out a win for the third-straight match, as the Lady Toppers took a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-9, 25-10, 27-25) at Southern Miss (19-11, 8-5) on Friday night.
Multiple Lady Toppers stepped up in the stats department against the Golden Eagles. Leading the way offensively was freshman Alyssa Cavanaugh with 16 kills while junior Haley Bodway notched 15 of her own. Senior Heather Boyan and junior Noelle Langenkamp had 10 kills each.
Freshman Jessica Lucas guided the offense's .308 hitting mark with 45 assists, turning her stat line into a double-double with 17 digs to go with the assists. Junior Rachel Engle also added three service aces to WKU's point total along with nine digs.
Sophomore Georgia O'Connell tabbed a career-high 23 digs, anchoring a defense that had 69 digs. The net defense was also crucial, as the team totaled 13 blocks, led by freshman Sydney Engle's six. Boyan and Langenkamp put in five blocks each while Lucas had three and Bodway had a pair.
For Southern Miss, Stephany Purdue led the team with 13 kills followed by Jasmine Crowell's 12. Four Golden Eagles had double-digit digs, as Mary Pursell had a team-high 15 with Kristen Fleming close behind with 12.
The teams stayed close early in the first set before a kill and block by Lucas along with a R. Engle service ace gave WKU a 19-16 advantage at a USM timeout. WKU continued to lead 23-21 before the home team posted the final four points of the match, which included three WKU miscues, to win the frame 25-23.
The second frame was all WKU, as the Lady Toppers hit at a .609 clip with no attack errors to USM's -.027. Under the serve of O'Connell and Grimes, WKU rolled out a 15-1 scoring spree before winning 25-9. In the set, Langenkamp and S. Engle had three blocks each while Langenkamp led the team with five kills.
WKU gained control of the third set early, climbing ahead 8-1 after three kills from Cavanaugh and a pair from Boyan. The Lady Toppers continued to roll, going up 15-4 at a USM break before cruising to a 25-10 win. Cavanaugh totaled seven kills in the frame, as WKU hit at another phenomenal hitting percentage with a .517 mark.
After leading for most of the contest and into the later points in the fourth set at 20-14, WKU found itself in trouble after attack errors and Golden Eagle blocks allowed USM to tie the frame at 24 each. Knotted again at 25 apiece, kills by Bodway and Boyan allowed WKU to secure the frame 27-25 and take the 3-1 win.
WKU closes out its regular-season road schedule at Marshall on Sunday, Nov. 9 with a noon CT first serve before returning home for its final two matches next week.
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.
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