"I'm just really, really proud of this team. Now 25-2, it's remarkable.", said head coach Travis Hudson. "We had few too many unforced errors on our side of the net, but other than that I feel really good about how we played. I think really big part of this was getting our servers to continue to serve with confidence because at the end of set one, we had one ace and seven errors. I really stayed on them about staying aggressive and seeing us finishing with 10 [service aces] and 11 [service errors] is pretty good after a one and seven start [in set one]."
Offensively, Lauren Matthews paved the way with 17 kills and a team collective .542 hitting clip in the third set. Individually, Matthews hit for .467 while assisting fifth-year middle hitter Katie Isenbarger was .700 on the day, accumulating seven kills and no errors.
Senior Ashley Hood tied her career-best six aces on inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, taking the lead for the Red and White while also marking 100 career service aces in total. The Tops produced 10 total service aces, both Katie Isenbarger and Katie Howard each collecting two of their own.
On Hood's serving day, Hudson noted, "Good for her. I love to see kids like her achieve those kinds of things. I'm so thankful from beginning to end and what a neat thing to accomplish yet again near the end of the season."
WKU 3, FIU 0 - 25-20, 25-16, 25-10
SET 1
The Hilltoppers popped into scoring with a 4-0 run to open the rematch in the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. The Panthers took two back before both teams traded off points in two-point increments, before an even point trade back-and-forth eventually led to a Hilltopper 3-0 run featuring kills from Katie Isenbarger and Katie Howard. Both conference opponents traded on the board, with the Tops holding the five-point lead. Middle hitter Lauren Matthews collected three of the last five points at the 20-point mark for WKU. Outside hitter Paige Briggs closed the door on the first frame with a kill off the left side, tipping the hands of the FIU blockers to move onto the next.
SET 2
Right side hitter Kenadee Coyle got the push for the Hilltoppers with a kill down the right line to open the second frame. The Panthers answered one back with a Hilltopper error before WKU took sole control of the second set and went on an impeccable 10-0 point run. The run tabbed up three Ashley Hood service aces, including two back-to-back, two kills of the hand of Lauren Matthews, and two more kills from Katie Howard on the outside. FIU answered back on their home court, adding four more to bring a five-point match on the court. Lauren Matthews disputed the call back and responded with two kills back-to-back to bring the score inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, 14-5, in favor of the Hilltoppers. The two traded in the court as the Panthers finally hit double-digits during the set, WKU hit up three straight with another Ashley Hood ace. The final points for the Red and White ended with Matthews', Briggs, and back to Matthews' kills to head onto the final.
SET 3
Leading two sets to none, WKU continued their hot streak with a 13-2 run. Holding the Panthers to .000 hitting in the final frame, the Tops led FIU to three errors in the first 15 points, while collecting seven kills led by Lauren Matthews, Paige Briggs, and Avri Davis. Senior Ashley Hood also picked up her sixth and final ace, while Katie Howard followed suit with two at the line during the run. Both traded in rallies, until Western Kentucky shot out three unanswered ending with a block assist with Matthews and Bauer at the top of the net. The Hilltoppers carried on to cross 20, ending the match on a 4-1 run with a kill from Jennifer Rush and an FIU attacking error to capstone the Hilltoppers' sixth consecutive sweep and undefeated road streak this season.
UP NEXT
The No. 22 Hilltoppers' last match of the regular season will be up against the No. 21 Rice Owls inside Diddle Arena Thursday, November 10 for Senior Night and Military/First Responders' Night. Senior night recognition will occur on the court prior to serve. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and broadcast on HSSN on Facebook.
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 26th time this season Coach Hudson has used this combination.
- In the series, WKU is holding the 48-8 edge in the all-time record over Florida International.
- With 10 attempts on the afternoon, middle hitter Katie Isenbarger hit her career best .700 and no errors against the Panthers in her five years on The Hill.
- Ashley Hood marked her 100th career service ace during the second set of the match. The fifth-year defensive specialist led the Hilltoppers on the service line with six during the match, following behind closely were Isenbarger and Katie Howard with two apiece.
- Setter Callie Bauer led the drive in assists during the match, collecting 37 on the court. Defensive specialist Ashley Hood garnered 12 digs a top of the Red and White in the back row.
- The Hilltoppers now stand at 25-2 and undefeated in C-USA play (13-0).
- Head coach Travis Hudson is now 718-220 across his career on the Hill.
- WKU Volleyball is now up to an all-time program record of 996-494.
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.
