With WKU Football in action against Indiana later in the day, Diddle Arena was a stop for many tailgaters as a season-best 1,409 people took in the volleyball match on Saturday.
In a match that saw just three ties and no lead changes, WKU never trailed and saw 14 Hilltoppers get in on the action.
For much of the 61-minute match, Lauren Matthews and the Hilltopper squad were on pace to break the single-match hitting percentage marks. While neither would ultimately be adjusted, Matthews operated at a reading of .773 with 17 kills on 22 errorless swings. Kayland Jackson struck for 11 kills on 14 swings for a career-high hitting clip of .786. Both individual marks were the best by a Hilltopper this season.
Nadia Dieudonne racked up 39 assists as three Hilltoppers worked into double-digit kills. Paige Briggs tallied 11 to go along with eight digs.
Kelsey Brangers led the Hilltopper defense with 12 digs and was flawless in all 20 serve-receive attempts as WKU would not allow an ace on the day. On the flip side, Dieudonne struck for a pair of aces and Hallie Shelton added one of her own.
WKU vs. Marshall – 25-8, 25-15, 25-19
Set 1
WKU opened the day with a quick 10-1 lead and never looked back, holding the Thundering Herd to just eight points in the set. WKU was clicking on all cylinders as the squad hit .593 in the frame with 17 kills against one error on 27 swings and was a perfect 8-for-8 in sideout opportunities. Marshall was held to just three kills in the frame while hitting -.120 and would be the first opponent held to single digits by the Hilltoppers this season.
Set 2
WKU once again pushed out to a quick lead, opening up a 13-5 advantage in a frame that wouldn't have any timeouts called. The Herd would pull within seven on a few occasions but a Nadia Dieudonne service ace pushed the Tops' lead to double digits at 22-12. After a Kayland Jackson kill for the 23-13 lead, Jennifer Rush tallied WKU's last two points with strikes of her own for the 25-15 tally. WKU fired off 21 kills in the set – its most since posting 25 against No. 21 Rice on Nov. 24, 2019.
Set 3
The Hilltoppers once again opened a quick lead against Marshall, taking a 7-1 advantage before the Herd cut it to an 8-4 deficit. WKU hit double digits with a 10-7 lead but Marshall stuck around and trailed by just three at 17-14. From there, Paige Briggs struck for back-to-back kill forcing a timeout from the Herd. From there, Taylor Bebout would assume setting duties and struck for a kill to make the score 22-17 before dishing assists to both Hilltopper middles, Katie Isenbarger and Lauren Matthews. WKU worked at a match-low .357 efficiency in the set while striking for 18 kills.
SCHEDULE
Friday, September 24 – No. 22 WKU def. Marshall, 3-0
Saturday, September 25 – No. 22 WKU def. Marshall, 3-0
NEXT UP
After eight matches inside Diddle Arena, WKU Volleyball will return to the road until Oct. 15-16. This coming weekend (Oct. 1-2), the Red and White will head to Miami for a series against FIU before making the drive to Richmond, Ky., to face Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 6 for a midweek matchup.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU continued with the same lineup as Paige Briggs, Nadia Dieudonne, Lauren Matthews, Hallie Shelton, Kayland Jackson, Katie Howard and Kelsey Brangers (libero) earned starts on the day. The Tops' new line was its third different look of the season and this combination is now 3-0.
- The Hilltoppers claimed their 13th-straight victory over the Herd with Friday's win and now lead the all-time series 17-2.
- Kayland Jackson tallied 11 kills of 14 errorless swings for a career-best .786 hitting percentage.
- Three Hilltoppers worked into double-digit kills as Lauren Matthews struck for 17 while Jackson and Paige Briggs each added 11.
- Collectively, the WKU offense fired at a .495 clip on the day – it's highest efficiency of the season.
- WKU fired off 21 kills in the second set – its most since posting 25 against No. 21 Rice on Nov. 24, 2019.
- With the win, the Hilltoppers improve to 13-1 (2-0 C-USA) on the season and 11-0 in three-set matches.
- WKU's conference win streak grew to 35-consecutive matches with Saturday's sweep of the Herd.
- With the day's results, head coach Travis Hudson is now 678-217 across his career.
- WKU Volleyball is now up to an all-time program record of 956-492 with Saturday's win.
