In one of her best matches as a Topper, libero Abby Schaefer collected nine digs with solid control, including a point-earning pancake save for the Tops. Logan Grevengoed led the front line on defense yet again, stuffing four blocks at the net, followed by Kenadee Coyle and Gabby Weihe with three apiece.
WKU 3, NM State 0: 25-16, 25-15, 25-23
Set 1
NMSU opened up the matinee match with a kill and service ace against the Hilltopper back row to get an early lead. The Hilltoppers later jumped on a 4-0 run with three Aggie errors and a cross-court kill off the hand of Kenadee Coyle. NM State later came back on two straight to tie up the frame. Both teams rallied, until WKU attacked on a 6-1 run that featured two Kaylee Cox kills and a block and kill from Logan Grevengoed to force NM State to burn a timeout at 10-5. The Aggies gained momentum on the first point out, yet the Tops put pressure with a 7-1 run, ending on back-to-back blocks, to wadge a 10-point lead. One of many kills from Cox on the left side kicked off three straight points for the Tops followed by a Callie Bauer ace and block from Coyle and freshman Gabby Weihe. After a solo block from Cox to capture point 22, the Aggies pushed through a 6-0 run to gain momentum to set point and force head coach Travis Hudson to burn a timeout. Both teams later traded points until a kill from Grevengoed in the middle solidified the frame.
Set 2
The Tops' 14th kill of the match came off the hand of Kaylee Cox to kick off the second set in Las Cruces. The Tops would march on into a 4-1 run for the set lead at the start. Head coach Mark Jordan and the Aggies would fight back with four straight points to take the one-point lead over the Red and White after a rare Paige Briggs hitting error. Picking up steam, Cox and Kelsey Brangers teamed up for consecutive kills and service aces for a four-point scoring run. After the Aggies grabbed two on the board, WKU took care into a five-point lead started by a sideout setting error. Grevengoed and Bauer would team together for a block in the middle as Cox and Grevengoed would later strike down for kills at the net. As both teams would trade points on the board, the Hilltoppers would capitalize on a 3-0 run with a Coyle kill on the right, Abby Schaefer service ace, and sideout point from an Aggies attacking error for a 21-13 set. NM State shut down the Tops' momentum with a block in the middle, but Cox and the Tops would run on back-to-back kills and a ball handling error on the home team to lead the match 2-0.
Set 3
Keeping a tighter third set, the Hilltoppers and Aggies tied the frame eight separate times before the 15-point media timeout as the Tops hit .324 in the set. Out of the break, NMSU jumped on a 3-0 run to square up the frame at 16 apiece. Both teams would remain tied in three more points, until the Red and White would run on three straight sideout points and a Cox kill to take a three-point lead. Bauer would earn a setter dump to reach match point before the Aggies would creep within one point before extras. The redshirt-freshman Grevengoed would capitalize on open space in the back corner for a shot on the other side of the net, as the Tops earned their 12th sweep of the season.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU started Callie Bauer, Paige Briggs, Kenadee Coyle, Kaylee Cox, Logan Grevengoed, Gabby Weihe, and freshman Abby Schaefer in at libero.
- Now with back-to-back sweeps over NM State, the Tops trail slightly behind in the all-time series at 5-6.
- Kelsey Brangers and and Callie Bauer each gained two aces from the service line, followed by Katie Howard and Abby Schaefer each getting a point on the serve.
- With a .553 hitting clip, junior transfer Kaylee Cox earned her new WKU career-high, 23 kills in the Tops' match up. She totaled 43 kills over the weekend, marking her season total to 247.
- Logan Grevengoed led the defensive charge across the net for the second straight match, stuffing four blocks from the middle.
- The Hilltoppers are back in Diddle Arena to host Sam Houston Oct. 20 and 21. Audio streaming is available on the Varsity Network App.
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.
