C-USA Tournament Up Next for No. 19 WKU Volleyball

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – After wrapping up the first undefeated regular season in program history, No. 18 WKU Volleyball is headed to Hattiesburg, Miss., for the 2020-21 Conference USA Tournament. Single-elimination action will open on Thursday, April 1 with the Hilltoppers' match against the fourth seed from the East Division, North Texas at noon CT.

All matches from the Southern Miss Wellness/Volleyball Center will be streamed on ESPN+ with Jason Baker on the call.

C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 1 – Quarterfinals
Match 1: WKU (1E) vs. North Texas (4W) (ESPN+) Noon
Match 2: UTEP (2W) vs. Marshall (3E) (ESPN+) 2 p.m.
Match 3: Rice (1W) vs. Middle Tennessee (4E) (ESPN+) 5 p.m.
Match 4: Charlotte (2E) vs. UAB (3W) (ESPN+) 7 p.m.

Friday, April 2 – Semifinals
Match 5: Match #1 Winner vs. Match #2 Winner (ESPN+) Noon
Match 6: Match #3 Winner vs. Match #4 Winner (ESPN+) 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 3 – Final
Match 7: Match #5 vs. Match #6 winner (ESPN+) Noon

TOP STORYLINES

WKU and North Texas are set to meet for the first time since Nov. 8, 2019. WKU leads the all-time series 21-3 and has claimed 8 of the last 10 meetings.
The Hilltoppers' 18-0 start is a new best for the best undefeated start in program history. An 8-0 reading was previously the top undefeated mark and had been achieved by three prior WKU squads.
WKU has dropped just three sets all season winning 54 of 57 total sets played this season. WKU's second match against Marshall was the first time all season the Tops trailed in a match after the Herd claimed the opening frame to end WKU's 25-consecutive sets won streak. West Virginia would also take the opening frame off the Tops before Hudson's crew rattled off the next three sets to secure the victory.
Since joining Conference USA prior to the 2014 campaign, WKU has won at least a share of the regular-season championship in six of seven seasons. From 2014-17, WKU earned four-straight automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament – the first time in program history.
Nadia Dieudonne was recently narrowed down from one of 30 candidates to one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. She is the only Power 5 player to make the cut. The honor is awarded to student-athletes who have notable achievements in four different areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. VOTE FOR DIEUDONNE HERE
WKU Volleyball will be wearing "AC" patches on all of its jerseys this season to honor the life of Hilltopper legend Alyssa Cavanaugh who passed away on December 25, 2020. Cavanaugh is the most-decorated player in program history.
In Conference USA's first season utilizing divisions, WKU was predicted to win the East Division by the league's coaches. WKU's counterpart from the West was Rice – a program that the Hilltoppers have no shortage of high-level battles against. Both squads would go 12-0 and win their respective division.
WKU Volleyball jumped two spots to the No. 18 ranking in the March 22 American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll (AVCA) before moving to No. 19 in the most recent poll. No. 18 was the Tops' best ranking since the program's best mark at No. 16 in 2013.

WIESEMANN ORTHODONTICS
Your 2020-21 WKU Volleyball spring season is presented by Wiesemann Orthodontics – get the smile you have always wanted!

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.

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Players Mentioned

Nadia Dieudonne