"I'm really pleased. We played really good volleyball yesterday and today", said head coach Travis Hudson. "There were some really close sets – that had a lot to do with Sam Houston matching up to our level than us dropping. I'm excited about two more sweeps, excited to get to 20 wins, excited to get closer to another conference championship."
Remaining undefeated in conference action, WKU picked up their 10th conference win and their eighth sweep in CUSA this year. Junior Kaylee Cox led the serving charge with six aces from the line – her WKU career-high, while Paige Briggs recorded another double-digit kill outing and libero Abby Schaefer notched back-to-back double-digit dig matches.
WKU 3, Sam Houston 0: 25-21, 25-12, 25-23
Set 1
Sam Houston recorded a kill and set one was underway, but a service error evened the frame at one apiece. The Bearkats then rolled off five of the next six points taking a 6-2 advantage. A Kaylee Cox block later cut the deficit to two. The Hilltoppers' third attack error of the set forced head coach Travis Hudson to use timeout as they trailed by four. Out of the break Cox recorded the team's first kill of the afternoon with a shot down the left line. She then followed it up with two more, cutting the margin down to 10-8. After SHSU took five of the next seven, WKU was forced to burn another timeout, down 15-10. Out of the stoppage, Sam Houston grabbed their ninth kill of the frame but Paige Briggs' first block of the day cut the margin back to five. A kill from Gabby Weihe sparked a 6-0 WKU run. In the run, Coyle notched a kill and recorded a block while Paige Briggs served up her first ace of the day. Sam Houston was first to 20 but Cox's fifth and sixth kills of the frame tied the frame at 20 apiece. A Briggs kill and Cox ace forced the Bearkats to take their final timeout with the Tops up 23-21. Kaylee Cox's third ace of the set gave the Red and White set one after a testy comeback.
Set 2
A four-hit violation called on Sam Houston got the Tops on the board in set two. A Paige Briggs kill gave the Tops a 4-3 lead, but the Bearkats responded with a kill of their own. WKU responded with a 3-0 run, capped by a Coyle kill that forced Sam Houston head coach Brenda Gray to call time. The Tops were first to 10 point on the scoreboard, credit to a Paige Briggs kill. After the final SHSU timeout of the set, Cox recorded her fourth ace of the day as part of an 12-0 WKU run, ballooning the lead to 13, 20-7. Kaylee Cox had three aces in the run, Logan Grevengoed and Paige Briggs each recorded three kills in the stretch. A Bearkat kill ended the run, but the Tops picked right back up, notching back-to-back points aided by Briggs' seventh kill of the afternoon. Sam Houston ran off a quick 3-0 run, but the Tops took three of the last four, winning the frame with a 13-point margin.
Set 3
A Bearkat kill opened up scoring before a successful Hilltopper challenge tied the frame at one all. The eighth Hilltopper ace of the afternoon gave the Red and White their first lead of the set. WKU followed up with a Briggs kill and an unreturnable serve from Katie Howard marking the second Hilltopper ace of the frame with the Tops up by three. Both teams stayed balanced, as neither strayed one point away from another until Sam Houston was the first to hit double-digits on the board. After the Bearkats took a 14-12 lead, Kenadee Coyle notched a kill down the line and Kaylee Cox stuffed a block tying the frame for the ninth tie of the set. An ace from specialist Callahan Weigandt gave the Tops their first lead since 4-3, forcing Sam Houston to burn a timeout. After the Tops took a 19-17 off of a Grevengoed kill, the Bearkats rolled off three straight taking the lead back. Tied at 21 points, SHSU fired their 34th kill of the match taking a one-point edge. Paige Briggs tied things up once again with her 11th and final kill of the day. A 3-0 run, capped by a Kaylee Cox kill gave the Tops match point and forced the Bearkats to take their final timeout. Sam Houston later notched a kill but Kaylee Cox sent the Bearkats on their way with her ninth of the afternoon as WKU took the match.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU started Callie Bauer, Paige Briggs, Kelsey Brangers, Kaylee Cox, Logan Grevengoed, Gabby Weihe, and freshman Abby Schaefer in at libero.
- After the programs' first meeting in 1986, WKU now holds the all-time series lead, 2-1.
- Fifth-year outside hitter Paige Briggs led the way again for the Hilltoppers on the offensive end, notching 11 kills to go along with four digs and a block.
- Setter Callie Bauer played some offense for the Red and White, hitting six kills for a .462 clip along with 30 assists.
- A heavy serving weekend for the Tops, between last night and today's matches, WKU recorded 22 aces as Paige Briggs led the charge and broke the school record with 10 aces Friday and Kaylee Cox hit six in Saturday's match up.
- Libero Abby Schaefer picked up 13 digs from the back row to lead the way for the Tops on the defensive end.
- The Hilltoppers hit the road Friday, Oct. 27, for a pair of matches at Louisiana Tech. First serve Friday is set for 6 pm. Both matches will be streamed 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.
