Robert Morris Box Score | Lehigh Box Score
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Following a hard-fought five-set victory over Pitt Friday night, the Lady Toppers claimed a pair of sweeps on Saturday to secure the Panther Challenge championship. Behind three outings of 15 kills or more by Alyssa Cavanaugh and a .458 weekend hitting percentage by Rachel Anderson, the Lady Toppers improved to 12-2 on the season.
"We are very happy to get three wins this weekend," head coach Travis Hudson shared. "It wasn't our best volleyball in terms of execution, but we found a way to win. Now our schedule slows down and we can get back into the practice gym and get better. I'm really looking forward to that."
WKU's first win of the day over Robert Morris marked the sixth win of the 2016 season for the Lady Toppers over an opponent that made an appearance in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
A trio of Lady Toppers earned All-Tournament Team honors for their weekend efforts. Anderson was named the Panther Challenge MVP while Cavanaugh and Georgia O'Connell were also named honorees.
WKU 3, ROBERT MORRIS 0 - 25-23, 25-18, 25-16 | Box Score (PDF)
For the first time of the 2016 season, the Lady Topper volleyball team held a team below a .000 hitting percentage. Travis Hudson's crew allowed just 16 kills and forced 18 attack errors in the three-set sweep, limiting Robert Morris to a -.025 hitting mark.
WKU got back on track in the opening set of its first match of Saturday, claiming a 25-23 victory in the frame. The Lady Toppers owned as much as an 8-1 lead early in the set before Robert Morris, a 2015 NCAA Tournament team, eventually tied the set at 13-13. Travis Hudson's crew claimed five of the final seven points in the frame to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, WKU jumped ahead to a quick 5-2 lead over Robert Morris. With the set knotted at 17-17, the Lady Toppers went on an 8-1 run to clinch the set by a 25-18 margin. As a team, WKU registered 14 kills in the set against just five errors on 31 attempts for a .390 hitting clip.
It didn't take long in the third set for WKU to open up a lead. In a set that saw just two ties, WKU worked ahead to an 11-6 lead. Robert Morris worked back within three points at 16-13 but the Lady Toppers scored nine of the next 12 points to finish the sweep of the Colonials.
Mary Martin tallied 31 assists and four blocks assists in the morning contest. The sophomore also added one of the Lady Toppers three service aces.
In the three set match, Cavanaugh produced 15 kills against just two errors for a .448 hitting percentage. Sydney Engle registered a .385 hitting clip with five kills on 13 attacks to go along with nine digs. Anderson recorded eight kills and three blocks in the match as well.
As a team, WKU finished with a .208 hitting percentage and 39 kills in addition to five total blocks. O'Connell joined Engle with a team-leading nine digs in the outing.
WKU 3, LEHIGH 0 - 25-13, 25-21, 25-14 | Box Score (PDF)
In the final match of the Panther Challenge, WKU made quick work of the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in the opening frame of play securing a 25-13 victory. The Lady Toppers forced Lehigh to take an early timeout as WKU took a 12-8 lead. Out of the stoppage, WKU continued rolling, working ahead to a 20-11 advantage before a Taylor Dellinger kill secured the first-set win.
Despite 16 ties and 10 lead changes in the second set, WKU came out on top in the 25-21 decision. WKU registered 14 kills in the frame on 30 attacks. Leading all attackers through two sets, Cavanaugh owned 11 kills entering set three against Lehigh.
WKU secured its second sweep of the day with a third-set 25-14 victory. The frame opened with five ties before the Lady Toppers ran away with it. WKU owned as much as a 13-point advantage in the set. A total of 12 kills on 22 attacks helped the Red and White to a .455 hitting clip in the set.
Jessica Lucas registered 31 assists to go along with five kills, three digs and a solo block in the afternoon match. As a unit, WKU hit at a .410 clip. The Lady Toppers tallied 41 kills in the three-set contest against just nine errors on 78 attacks.
Leading the offensive effort was Cavanaugh with 17 kills on 25 swings for a .560 hitting percentage. Anderson finished with seven kills and a .400 production rate in the afternoon contest while Dellinger recorded five kills of her own.
Defensively, O'Connell and Engle each registered nine digs apiece while WKU finished with 33 digs total.
Conference play will commence for the WKU Lady Toppers with a Friday night match at the E.A. Diddle Arena against Florida Atlantic. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
