Sept. 26, 2014
RUSTON, La.— The WKU volleyball team (13-4, 1-0) opened its time in Conference USA on the right foot, pulling out a 3-0 win (25-22, 26-24, 25-13) at Louisiana Tech (7-8, 0-2) on Friday night in the Thomas Assembly Center.
Freshman Alyssa Cavanaugh pounded out 12 kills to lead the match followed by junior Rachel Engle with nine. Freshman Jessica Lucas added her third double-double of the year with 38 assists and 11 digs to go with six kills and three blocks. Sophomore Georgia O'Connell tabbed 12 digs in the back row while senior Heather Boyan led the net defense with four blocks.
For LA Tech, Rebecca Redgen and Angela Papach tallied nine kills each. Defensively, Alejandra Aviles put up a match-high 16 digs while Adria Morales and Dalane Guidry notched five blocks each.
The teams stayed close in the opening set with LA Tech holding the early advantage. A 5-2 run for WKU capped off by a Langenkamp-Lucas block pulled it ahead 14-11. The Lady Techsters quickly came back to lead 15-14. The home team continued to carry a slight advantage until WKU tied it at points 19, 20 and 21. The Lady Toppers closed the frame on a 4-1 run to win 25-22.
A 4-0 spree that included kills from Langenkamp, Boyan and Lucas boosted WKU to a 6-2 lead to begin the second frame. The Lady Toppers got ahead as much as six points at 11-5 before LA Tech closed the gap by tying the set at 17 apiece. A block by Cavanaugh and Boyan opened the lead again for WKU at 22-19, but the Lady Techsters capitalized on three WKU miscues to tab set point at 24-23. However, kills by Langenkamp and R. Engle helped WKU get the points it needed to win 26-24.
WKU dominated the final frame from the start, grabbing an 8-0 lead after a Boyan kill. WKU continued to control, as the only LA Tech points came from WKU errors as the scoreboard read 13-2. Back-to-back R. Engle aces lifted WKU to a 21-9 advantage, as the Lady Toppers cruised to a 25-13 win.
WKU hosts its first league match against Rice on Sunday at noon CT. The first 250 fans at Sunday's match will receive a free C-USA T-shirt while fans who present a church bulletin will receive free admission for "Faith and Family Day."
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.
