ATHENS, Ohio – WKU Volleyball kicked off the 2016 campaign with a four-set victory over the Ohio Bobcats at the Bobcat Invitational with a balanced effort across the board. A .323 hitting rate helped the Lady Toppers take down the Bobcats on their home court in front of a crowd of 3,863 while holding the hosts to a .220 mark.
After a back and forth opening set, the Lady Toppers took control late and came out with the 25-21 first-set victory. The host Bobcats and WKU traded points for much of the frame before WKU pushed ahead for good. Rachel Anderson led the way for the Red and White with seven first-set kills.
It didn't take long for the WKU Volleyball team to open up a sizable lead in the second frame. After the Bobcats evened the set at 2-2, the Lady Toppers responded with four-straight points for a 6-2 advantage and never turned back. Ohio opted for a timeout down 19-11 to Travis Hudson's unit, but it was too late as WKU earned the second-set victory in a 25-17 fashion. The Lady Toppers hit at a .440 clip in the frame and held the hosts to a -.040 mark.
Ohio responded in the third stanza with a 25-23 win to pull within a set of the Lady Toppers. There were three ties early in the set and a pair of lead changes, but Ohio took control in the frame. WKU pulled within one point at 22-21 but never completely closed the gap. Late in the set, Jessica Lucas registered her 10th dig for the first double-double performance of her junior season.
In a thrilling fourth set, WKU powered its way to a 27-25 win to claim the season opener for both sides. The Lady Toppers worked to as much as a four point lead, but Ohio wouldn't go away. Anderson's 15th kill of the night, a new career high, helped the Lady Toppers down the stretch. Taylor Dellinger also achieved a new career high when she notched her 11th kill. The Red and White closed the book on the contest thanks to back-to-back kills by Cavanaugh and Lucas.
Lucas finished the day nearing career numbers in multiple categories. The junior setter registered 52 assists in the four-set contest, coming just four shy of her top performance. Additionally, she finished with a career-best 19 digs on the match to accompany her seven kills.
As a unit, the Lady Toppers tallied 70 digs led by Lucas' 19. Georgia O'Connell accounted for 15 along with a pair of aces. Sydney Engle added 12 digs and nine kills while freshman Emma Kowalkowski contributed double digit digs (10) as well.
On the offensive side, the WKU program utilized a spread out attack that saw four different players finish with more than 30 attacks. Cavanaugh led the Red and White with the third 20-kill performance of her career. Anderson added 15 more kills while Dellinger contributed 11.
Action at the Bobcat Invitational continues tomorrow for the Lady Toppers. WKU will take on Villanova in an 11:30 a.m. CT contest and follow that with an afternoon tilt against FGCU at 4 p.m. CT.
