WKU Volleyball Splits Exhibition Against No. 3 Kentucky, 2-2

Thursday, August 19

Bowling Green, Ky.

5 p.m. CT

Western Kentucky University

Kentucky

WKU Volleyball Splits Exhibition Against No. 3 Kentucky, 2-2

8/19/2021 10:23:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Post-Match Interviews Highlights

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Volleyball fans in the Commonwealth were in for a treat Thursday night as No. 16 WKU hosted the defending national champions No. 3-ranked Kentucky for a free exhibition. The preseason showdown would ultimately end in a 2-2 tie.

WKU won the first (25-18) and third (27-25) sets while Kentucky won the second (25-23) and fourth (28-26) sets. The final two sets both went extra points in front of over 1,700 fans inside Diddle Arena.

"What a great turnout for a volleyball exhibition match," shared WKU head coach Travis Hudson. "It's a lot of good volleyball going on out there, two great programs. This was such a showcase for the state of Kentucky and to see the fanbase turn out like that was something that is a real impact for our players, especially during two-a-days during a time when they're really fatigued."

All 18 players on the Hilltoppers' 2021 roster saw exhibition action. Paige Briggs worked into double digit kills while Ashley Hood did the same in the dig column, both leading the team in those categories.

Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner and WKU's Hudson agreed on running the exhibition in a cooperative format that saw each squad gain experience and find weaknesses. Per agreement between the sides, full stats will not be released from the match.

"I'm glad we had the opportunity to play this exhibition against a great team like Western Kentucky," UK head coach Craig Skinner said. "There is no question both teams learned a lot and will gain from this leading into our first weekend of competition."

The Hilltoppers are just over a week out from opening the 2021 campaign on Friday, August 27 at the Notre Dame-hosted Golden Dome Invitational with a 10 a.m. CT tilt against Oakland.

Flexible season ticket packages are on sale now and include 13 vouchers that fans can use at any regular-season home match in whatever fashion they choose. Fans can opt for the traditional use of one ticket for all 13 home matches or bring a group to a few matches. Flexible ticket packages are available for $50 at WKUTickets.com, by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED or by coming to the WKU Ticket Office during regular business hours.

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.