No. 19 WKU Looks to Secure C-USA Regular-Season Crown in Final Week

WKU MATCH NOTES

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – No. 19 WKU Volleyball will return to Diddle Arena to close the regular season with two matches on The Hill this weekend as Louisiana Tech and UAB come to town. One win will clinch at least a share of the Conference USA regular season title while two will secure the trophy outright for the Lady Toppers. Thursday and Saturday's matches will both be streamed for free on Facebook Live by HSSN but head coach Travis Hudson has challenged Hilltopper Nation to come out to the contests if at all possible.

"I really want to put a challenge out to Hilltopper Nation," shared Hudson. "These kids have been through a lot in the last 18 months. We dealt with a season last year where we had to overcome so many things and then getting dropped in the first round of the tournament. For them to reestablish who we are and put together the season they have, they deserve to feel the support behind them. I'm challenging you to be in Diddle Arena Thursday night and Saturday. I'm a WKU Basketball fan too, and I've been in Diddle Arena and seen all those seats filled so I know there are enough people that wear the red and white that know their way to Diddle Arena. I've been in this community for a long time and I'm telling you that if you're appreciative, come watch these kids play in their last two matches at home this season. Let them feel the support and love of this great fan base. They've gone out and put their heads down and worked and put a product out there that we all can be very proud of."

FOLLOWING INFORMATION
Thursday, Nov. 14 – 6 p.m. CT | vs. Louisiana Tech | Livestats | Facebook Live
Saturday, Nov. 16 – Noon CT | vs. UAB | Senior Day | Livestats | Facebook Live

Hudson's squad continues to build upon the best start in program history with a 26-1 record. The team hasn't lost a match since Sept. 6 at No. 24 Louisville. In its second go around with a ranked team, the Tops took down No. 17 Rice on its home court in Houston this past Sunday. The contest marked the first-ever meeting between two ranked Conference USA teams. With Sunday's five-set win over the Owls, WKU owns the only unbeaten mark in C-USA with a perfect 12-0 reading.

This week, the Red and White will have the chance to wrap up a perfect season inside Diddle Arena as well, entering the matches with a 13-0 record at home this season. WKU's 15-match home win streak is the seventh longest active stretch in NCAA Volleyball.

Coming to The Hill this weekend are Louisiana Tech and UAB. WKU will face off with the Lady Techsters for the lone meeting this season on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. LA Tech is 13-13 overall and 3-9 in league play. Tech has picked up its C-USA victories over Southern Miss, FIU and UAB – all in four sets.

Following Saturday's Senior Day ceremony, WKU will host UAB for the second meeting between the sides this season. First serve of the regular-season finale is slated for noon CT. UAB sits at 12-13 on the year and 4-8 in conference play. The Blazers have picked up wins against Middle Tennessee, UTEP, FIU and Southern Miss in league play this season. When the Tops visited Birmingham, Ala., on Oct. 25, WKU left with a 3-0 sweep.

WKU leads the all-time series against Louisiana Tech 13-7, claiming each of the last eight matchups. UAB leads the all-time series against the Lady Toppers 23-11 but WKU has won nine of the last 10 meetings.

Seniors Sophia Cerino and Emma Kowalkowski will be recognized in a pre-match ceremony on Saturday as their impressive careers are honored in front of the home crowd one last time. Both student-athletes have been impactful since their first matches on The Hill back in 2016. Cerino and Kowalkowski have helped WKU to four collective C-USA championships and have the chance to add another one in Diddle Arena this week.

How to Follow WKU Volleyball: For complete information on WKU Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUVolleyball and head coach Travis Hudson at @TravisHudsonWKU. The team is also on Instagram and Facebook.

No. 19 WKU Looks to Secure C-USA Regular-Season Crown in Final Week

Players Mentioned

Sophia Cerino

Emma Kowalkowski

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