WKU worked at a defensive efficiency on the day in addition to out-blocking opponents 23-15. Both Lauren Matthews and Katie Isenbarger tallied 11 stuffs on the day.
Ashley Hood and Abby Schaefer were locked and loaded on the defense, going in for a combined 49 digs and holding the Blue Demons and Falcons to .188 percentage.
From back on the service line, WKU jumped ahead of the game earlier in the week, racking in 13 aces for easy points.
WKU vs. DePaul – 25-23, 25-27, 25-17, 25-16
Set 1
The Blue Demons got the head start on a near 6-2 run before hitting double-digits in the first frame. Back-to-back sideout points got WKU closer on the board before a Paige Briggs kill and service ace from Abby Schaefer put the Hilltoppers within two. Back and forth in trading points until the very end, WKU took the last four with a Briggs kill, service ace from setter Callie Bauer, and two errors on DePaul.
Set 2
Jumping out to an early lead, the Tops went on an 7-1 run on DePaul mid-set, before the Blue Demons answered six back. After Katie Isenbarger and Jennifer Rush marked kills in the second frame, the two opponents battled in a back and forth contest until a kill from DePaul's Bailey Nelson marked a 24-24 even match to go to extra points. Three more to the Blue Demons and they took the set, 27-25.
Set 3
Both squads found themselves tight and within two leading up to double-digits on the board, until WKU found themselves with a 5-0 run including back-to-back service aces from Katie Howard. On the attack and recording kills were Lauren Matthews, Paige Briggs, and Avri Davis – seeing some time in the front line. The final point came from a kill from Lauren Matthews, off the assist from Callie Bauer.
Set 4
The Hilltoppers started off with a new lineup on the court for the fourth and final frame: Weigandt, Rush, Hood, Mosley, Howard, and Coyle all saw time up against the Blue Demons that began trading off points, until an 8-1 Hilltopper run. Four kills off the hand of Briggs, another two from Katie Isenbarger, and an Abby Schaefer service ace constructed the earned points for the Red and White. Tossing up the points, freshman Logan Grevengoed scored the final point of the match with a kill on the right side, off the assist from Callie Bauer.
On the offense, Paige Briggs led the squad with 21 kills, followed by Lauren Matthews with 16 and Katie Isenbarger with six. Matthews held the attacks at a .481 clip, her second-highest of the season.
Callie Bauer racked up a career-best 49 assists to go along with 11 digs, two kills and an ace.
WKU racked up seven blocks in the match including three block assists from Isenbarger. Matthews, Kenadee Coyle, and Logan Grevengoed also added a couple of block assists to help hold the Bobcats to a .178 hitting mark.
WKU vs. Bowling Green – (25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 27-25)
Set 1
Through the first 10 points of the set neither team would take more than a two-point lead. The Falcons would then go on a 3-0 run to extend their lead. Collecting more kills, Lauren Matthews tabbed four mid-set and the Hilltoppers went on a 4-0 run to regain the lead 18-17. Trading points until the very end, a stump block off of Kenadee Coyle and Katie Isenbarger would seal the first frame for WKU.
Set 2
The Tops jumped out to an early 3-0 run, before BGSU answered back with four unanswered points. The strong front line at the net took control mid-match, which included kills from Kenadee Coyle and Jennifer Rush, and double-block from Lauren Matthews and Rush to break out an 13-11 lead. The Falcons pushed through with five straight, then rallies back and forth marked up the points. Back-to-back kills from Lauren Matthews in the end of the frame seemed to be no match to the host, as BGSU took set two, 25-22.
Set 3
After trading the lead to open the set, WKU took control with an 8-2 run over the Falcons to wager a 9-5 lead. The Govs mounted a slight comeback to take a three-point gap, before the Hilltoppers exploded on the court with four straight to take the set. The Tops owned a .364 hitting clip, with 10 kills to shake off the Falcons and take the match lead into the fourth set.
Set 4
Bowling Green opened the final frame leading 7-4 until WKU used a 3-0 run behind strong serving from Briggs to even the court 7-7. The Falcons mounted a comeback and took control of the set with a 6-1 run over the Hilltoppers to take the lead and cause the Tops offense to reset. A 6-2 run which included four kills off of Paige Briggs, notched the Hilltoppers within one of the host. Another BGSU burst and the score was 21-17. A Paige Briggs kill and error on Bowling Green, eventually led to a Falcon's lead at 24-18. WKU dug deep and went on an impeccable 9-2 run to close out the set, heading into extra points. A Jennifer Rush solo block ended the Falcons' change and finalized the match, 27-25.
Abby Schaefer recorded a career-high 20 digs on the Falcons. Following suit in career numbers was Callie Bauer, taking in 40 assists on the evening.
Matthews deposited 17 kills, while operating at a .419 clip and tallying eight blocks. Briggs followed suit with 16 kills, while Rush posted seven.
SCHEDULE
Friday, September 17 – No. 22 WKU def. DePaul, 3-1
Friday, September 17 – No. 22 WKU def. Austin Peay, 3-0
Saturday, September 18 – No. 22 WKU vs. Northern Kentucky - 11 a.m. CT
NEXT UP
The Hilltoppers will close out weekend play in the Stroh Center at Bowling Green with a match-up to our northern neighbors, Northern Kentucky at 11 a.m. The match will be available for streaming on YouTube.
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.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU kept with its traditional starters: Paige Briggs, Lauren Matthews, Callie Bauer, Katie Isenbarger, Kanadee Coyle, Katie Howard, and Abby Schaefer in at libero.
- The Hilltoppers are now 4-1 all-time against DePaul and 2-0 all-time against Bowling Green.
- Paige Briggs led the way for the Tops with 21 kills and 13 digs as well as a block against DePaul, recording her second double-double of the season, before firing off 16 more kills against Bowling Green.
- Callie Bauer turned in a new career-high of 49 assists against DePaul.
- Libero Abby Schaefer hit a career milestone, 20 digs against Bowling Green, marking her new season and Hilltopper best.
- With the wins, the Hilltoppers improve to 5-1 on the season.
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.
