The pair of First Round foes make up two of the six unbeaten teams appearing in the NCAA Tournament this year.
The Lady Tigers posted an 11-0 record across the season after notching a perfect 9-0 mark in regular-season SWAC play. Jackson State won the first two matches of the SWAC Tournament before its Championship match against No. 3 seed Arkansas – Pine Bluff was canceled and JSU earned the automatic bid.
If the Hilltoppers can secure a First-Round win, they would face the No. 15 seed, Washington State. The Cougars currently rank 15th in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll while WKU came in at No. 19. WSU is 11-4 on the season – all in Pac 12 play.
WKU owns a 4-12 all-time record playing in the NCAA Tournament. The Hilltoppers have advanced to the Second Round on four occasions, but never past it. Hudson has led the program to all 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.
NCAA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, April 14 – First Round
No. 18 WKU vs. Jackson State – 9:30 p.m. CT
Stream: ESPN3 (Sam Gore play-by-play) - WATCH
Radio: 102.7 FM in Bowling Green and ESPNRadio1027.com
Livestats: https://www.ncaa.com/game/5822785
Thursday, April 15 – Second Round (With a win on Wednesday)
No. 18 WKU vs. No. 17 Washington State – 9:30 p.m. CT
Stream: ESPN3
Radio: 102.7 FM in Bowling Green and ESPNRadio1027.com
Livestats: https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/volleyball-women/d1/2021
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU and Jackson State are set to meet for the first time in program history.
- The Hilltoppers' 21-0 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 four sets all season winning 63 of 67 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 a spot to the No. 18 ranking in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll (AVCA) – the Tops' best ranking since the program's best mark at No. 16 in 2013.
- WKU is 4-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. All 13 appearances have come under Travis Hudson.
WIESEMANN ORTHODONTICS
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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.
