Bowling Green, Ky. -- Thursday evening was a familiar story for the 24th-ranked WKU volleyball team as the Lady Toppers recorded their fourth consecutive sweep and earned at least a share of the Conference USA regular season championship with a straight-set victory over Marshall (25-17, 25-13, 25-21) in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Senior Noelle Langenkamp led WKU's offensive attack as the Lady Toppers laid down 42 total kills and finished with a .382 team-hitting percentage on the evening.
Langenkamp tied a match-high with 12 kills off .417 hitting. Setter Jessica Lucas added eight kills on match-high .615 hitting while also adding 30 assists and eight digs. Rachel Anderson and Alyssa Cavanaugh added five a piece for WKU while senior Haley Bodway finished with four.
Defensively, WKU limited Marshall (15-13, 6-9 C-USA) to just .098 hitting on the contest led by junior Georgia O'Connell who recorded a team-high 12 digs. The Lady Toppers dominated at the net, as WKU outblocked Marshall, 9-1, led by Lucas who finished with four total kills including a pair of solo efforts.
Thursday's contest proved to be one of WKU's stronger performances at the service line as the Lady Toppers notched seven service aces led by senior Rachel Engle and junior Kaelin Grimes who each finished with a pair.
With the victory, WKU is assured at least a share of the 2015 Conference USA regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Conference USA tournament set to begin on Friday, November 20, on the campus of UTSA in San Antonio, Texas. The regular season title is WKU's fifth straight and the 12th under head coach Travis Hudson.
WKU (27-3, 14-1 C-USA) closes out the 2015 regular season Saturday afternoon with a noon CT. match against UTEP in E.A. Diddle Arena. With a victory over the Miners or a UTSA loss, the Lady Toppers can clinch the program's first outright C-USA regular season championship. WKU shared the regular season title with UTSA last year in the program's first season as a conference member.
Saturday's contest with UTEP also marks Senior Day for WKU as the senior trio of Noelle Langenkamp, Haley Bodway and Rachel Engle will be honored with a ceremony prior to first serve
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