Another offensive-heavy match, WKU racked up 42 kills and averaged a .373 hitting clip in the three sets against the 49ers. Middle hitter Lauren Matthews led the way with another double-digit kill match, picking up 15 on the front line, while outside hitter Katie Howard led on the service line for the second straight match, collecting five service aces on the evening.
"What a dominant and complete performance by our team tonight against a good opponent" noted head coach Travis Hudson. "And for it to get us our 23rd straight 20-win season is truly a remarkable accomplishment."
WKU 3, CHARLOTTE 0- 25-18, 25-16, 25-16
SET 1
The Hilltoppers slid into the crowd of 508 in Charlotte, notching the first four points of the match that included a kill by Lauren Matthews and three back-to-back service aces from Ashley Hood. Charlotte's Emani Foster broke the chain with a kill on the outside. WKU never lost sight, rallying back and forth in points before taking a 3-0 run with a six-point lead at 11-5. The Hilltoppers held steady in the lead until a 49ers went with four unanswered to wager the gap. Lauren Matthews called back with a kill from the middle, only for Katie Howard to respond with a service ace, and setter Callie Bauer to sneak a kill over the net to add more to the board. Rallying back even after another 4-0 Miner run, the Tops finished the job off of two kills from Paige Briggs and Katie Isenbarger.
SET 2
Despite a .636 hitting clip, Charlotte called back for an even match up in the second frame, taking a 3-1 lead in the set's early minutes. Setter Callie Bauer played offense with a dump over the net to break the Miner scoring followed by another service ace for the Red and White and the Hilltoppers tied the match at three apiece. The 49ers and Hilltoppers rallied back-and-forth through 12 collective points before WKU went on an explosive 5-0 run that featured kills from Avri Davis, Kenadee Coyle, and Lauren Matthews. Pushing through, the Tops racked on more kills from the front line, ending the frame with a kill in the right corner from sophomore Kenadee Coyle.
SET 3
Powering through into the final session, Lauren Matthews opened up the scoring for the Red and White before WKU eventually went on to score four unanswered. The front line of Paige Briggs and Lauren Matthews went in for more on back-to-back kills, before both teams went back and forth trading points in the arena. The Hilltoppers pulled through in a 7-1 run, before more back and forth giving of points. At the 24th point for the Hilltoppers, Charlotte went on their own four straight run to rally back, until Lauren Matthews called it over for the kill and the Hilltoppers headed back for Bowling Green.
UP NEXT
WKU is back inside Diddle Arena for an upcoming three-match homestand, beginning Sunday, Oct 23. The Hilltoppers will take on Middle Tennessee for the second meeting this season at noon CT. Live streaming of the contest will be available on HSSN on Facebook Live.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU used the lineup of Paige Briggs, Katie Howard, Lauren Matthews, Katie Isenbarger, Kenadee Coyle, Callie Bauer, and Abby Schaefer. This is the 21st time this season Coach Hudson has used this combination.
- In the series, WKU now stands at 20-3 as Charlotte is leaving C-USA next season. The Hilltoppers have taken the lead with 17 matches in the Hilltoppers' favor.
- Leading the offensive attack, Lauren Matthews tallied 15 kills off of 28 attempts. Sophomore rightside Kenadee Coyle collected nine kills operating at a .643 hitting clip – her career best with over 10 attempts.
- Leading the Tops on the service line last weekend, Katie Howard racked up five aces inside Halton Arena. Now the outside hitter has 15 service aces in the past four matches.
- The Hilltoppers now stand at 20-2 and undefeated in C-USA play (8-0).
- Head coach Travis Hudson is now 713-220 across his career on the Hill.
- WKU Volleyball is now up to an all-time program record of 991-494.
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.
