Freshman Gabby Weihe was up front with four blocks on the Hilltopper defense, assisted by Coyle and Cox. Defensive specialist Kelsey Brangers led the Red and White in the back row with 13 digs – her first double-digit outing since playing Jax State back on Oct. 7. Off the service line, Briggs took charge with three of the Tops' six aces.
WKU 3, Jax State 0: 25-12, 25-15, 25-17
Set 1
An errant serve from the Gamecocks and a shot off the fingertips from Kenadee Coyle got the Tops off and running with a 2-0 start. Both teams traded points back and forth on the board until four straight for the Tops featuring back-to-back blocks for Logan Grevengoed gave a five-point lead. Jax State later took three in a row, called back by three of the Tops' own for a 10-5 set. A Paige Briggs kill down to the back line followed by a Cameron Mosley service ace and two Izzy Van De Wiele kills took WKU into the media timeout. Briggs brought down another kill, a service ace, and back-to-back Jax State errors garnered a 12-point frame. Both teams rallied on the board through the stretch to 25 – the Hilltoppers ending on a Gamecock attacking error to end the set.
Set 2
Another 2-0 start to the set from a Kenadee Coyle/Gabby Weihe block, the Red and White eventually rallied on four straight points ending on one of three Paige Briggs' service aces. Both teams shuffled on the board, trading points between each other, never straying from a four-point margin. At the 13-8 mark, the Red and White jumped on a 3-0 run including a kill from Gabby Weihe, solo block from Kaylee Cox, and hitting error on the Gamecocks. After two point to JSU, WKU took care of the sideout with five in a row, ending on a kill from the right off of Coyle. The next six points of the set were split evenly, as the Hilltoppers reached point 23 from a Jax State error. The two volleyed on the board, ending the frame and giving the Tops the lead from a kill off the hand of Cox.
Set 3
Both teams stayed even-keeled, staying tied for the next three points until the Tops made a 5-1 run capped with a setter dump from Callie Bauer. The Gamecocks would take some control back with a 3-1 run, featuring back-to-back kills from Kathryn Smith, but the Hilltoppers ran 7-1 straight into the media timeout. In the run, Paige Briggs and libero Abby Schaefer tagged for a pair of aces, while Izzy Van De Wiele picked up her fourth kill of the morning. A kill off of JSU's Maddie Stayer cut the run short, not before four straight points and three kills in a row for outside hitter Kaylee Cox. The Gamecocks then took points 10-13 in a straight run to throw off the Hilltopper offense. The two conference opponents later rallied the rest of the way out, cutting off at 23-17 until the Tops picked up the match from a Gabby Wiehe kill to move to the CUSA Tournament semifinals.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU started Callie Bauer, Paige Briggs, Kenadee Coyle, Kaylee Cox, Logan Grevengoed, Izzy Van De Wiele, and freshman Abby Schaefer in at libero.
- Now having met for only three times in both programs' history, WKU leads the series undefeated.
- The Hilltoppers clinched the CUSA regular-season title last weekend against FIU. It is their fifth-straight regular-season championship and ninth of 10 possible championships since joining the league.
- Kelsey Brangers picked up her first double-digit dig match since October, with a 13-dig performance from the back row.
- The Tops totaled eight blocks in three sets, Gabby Weihe stuffed a solo and three assists, as junior Katie Howard picked up her first block of the season: a solo stuff on the left.
- WKU is now set for a match-up against [4] UTEP. The CUSA Tournament semifinal first match is set for tomorrow, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. CT. The action is available 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.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
