In the Tops 11th three-set sweep of the season, the Tops stuffed 10 blocks on the opposite side of the net, as redshirt-freshman Logan Grevengoed took charge with six blocks, followed by Callie Bauer with three, and Gabby Weihe and Cox with two.
WKU 3, NM State 0: 25-20, 25-23, 25-19
Set 1
After the Aggies opened up the first set in over 20 years against the two programs with back-to-back points, WKU jumped on a 3-0 run with a Gabby Weihe kill and back-to-back shots from Kaylee Cox. Regaining a slight lead, NM State took advantage of two in a row, followed by a Tops' answer of two before WKU ran on five straight points to garner a heavy lead at 10-6. Both teams traded points on the board until a 4-1 run by the Red and White put a six-point wager on the scoreboard and forced a Aggie timeout. The home team later drew in three points of their own on the board. After both programs rallied on the board, WKU ran on a 3-0 scoring drive with a Weihe kill and two sideout points from Aggie hitting errors. NMSU fought on to three more on the board, but the Hilltopper offense led by Cox shut them down in the first frame.
Set 2
A kill from freshman Gabby Weihe and the first service ace of the evening off the hand of Paige Briggs kicked off a 2-0 start for the Tops. After rallying on the board while the Tops kept a slight lead, the Aggies tied up the set at nine apiece, after back-to-back kills. The Hilltoppers pushed through, taking a 4-1 run to wadge a three-point lead over their opponent. After the net serve, the New Mexico State Aggies tied the scoreboard again 13-13, with a 3-0 run for themselves. Kaylee Cox laid down a kill followed by a bad set from the Aggies to take the set into the media timeout. Out of the timeout, Logan Grevengoed stuffed back-to-back solo blocks out of her spot in the middle to force Aggie head coach Mike Jordan to burn a timeout. Following the break, Grevengoed stuffed yet another to drive in another stop for a point at the net that followed by a Cox kill down the left line for the largest scoring run of the set at 6-0. The Aggies trailed behind, gaining four points before a Paige Briggs kill followed by a solo stuff for the fifth-year shut them down. New Mexico State didn't back down, gaining an advantage on a 6-1 run bringing a one-point set and forcing the Tops to burn a timeout. A poor reception from NM State gave the Tops 25 and the lead in the match.
Set 3
After a dualling battle of points across the Tops and Aggies and the set was tied at two apiece, WKU ran on five points straight for a 7-2 lead over NMSU, forcing an Aggie timeout. New Mexico State later cut the score down to two. A Kenadee Coyle kill followed up by a Grevengoed/Bauer block and Cox kill, wedged a 3-0 run in the Tops favor. The Hilltoppers and Aggies rallied and traded points back-and-forth for the next 16 points until the Aggies broke it up with three in a row. Still holding a five-point lead, both teams jumped in two-point runs until the Tops capitalized on match point with a Paige Briggs kill down to the back row.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU started Callie Bauer, Paige Briggs, Kenadee Coyle, Kaylee Cox, Logan Grevengoed, Gabby Weihe, and freshman Abby Schaefer in at libero.
- With the first Hilltopper sweep over the Aggies in program history, NM State still leads the all-time history at 6-4.
- A tough evening from the service line, Paige Briggs and Kaylee Cox each picked up an ace to the Aggies' back row.
- Along with 11 digs, Cox performed a double-double by hitting her WKU-career high 20 kills across the net. Operating at a .444 hitting clip, the Texas native took 36 swings for 22.0 total points.
- Logan Grevengoed led the defensive charge across the net, stuffing six blocks including two back-to-back stops from the middle.
- WKU and NM State wrap up the two match series tomorrow in the Pan American Center at 1 p.m. CT. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
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.
