NCAA Tournament First & Second Rounds December 1-2 // Hosted by [3] Tennessee |
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| Match 34: Coastal Carolina (22-9) | Fri., Dec. 1 | 3:30 p.m. CT | ESPN+ | Varsity Radio Network // Listen Live | Livestats | ||||
| Match 35: (With Win) | Sat., Dec. 2 | 5 p.m. CT | ESPN+ | Varsity Radio Network // Listen Live | Livestats | ||||
| Media Center | WKU | Interactive Bracket | Bracket | ||||
| Record Books | WKU | NCAA Volleyball | NCAA Championships | ||||
| Tickets | All-session and individual matches are available through Tennessee | ||||
| Series History | Coastal Carolina | High Point - N/A, never met | Tennessee | ||||
| Social Media | @WKUVolleyball | @WKU Volleyball  | Facebook  | YouTube  | Tik Tok |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Volleyball will enter its 16th trip to the NCAA Tournament and is back in action in Knoxville, Tennessee for the First and Second Rounds of the 2023 NCAA Tournament this weekend. The postseason action will begin on Dec. 1 with the 21st-ranked Hilltoppers opening play against Coastal Carolina at 3:30 p.m. CT.
All NCAA Tournament matches will be available on ESPN+, for fans who elect to subscribe. Myan Patel (PxP) and Caylan Arnold (Analyst) will be on the call in Knoxville.
As is the case for every Hilltopper match this season, all the action will also be available on the radio with Reily Chestnut and Ken Marshall on the play-by-play call. Any matches the Hilltoppers play from Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend will air on the Varisity Radio Network App.
First Round
Friday, December 1 – 3:30 p.m. CT | [6] WKU vs. Coastal Carolina
Friday, December 1 - 5:30 p.m. CT | [3] Tennessee vs. High Point
Second Round
Saturday, December 2 – 5 p.m. CT | Winners of Friday matches
WKU and Coastal Carolina will meet for the second time in program history. The Tops lost, 1-3, to Coastal in 1995 at the VCU Invitational in Richmond, Va. The Hilltoppers and Panthers of High Point have never met in program history, while Tennessee leads the all-time record with WKU 3-1, as the Tops picked up their first program win over the Lady Vols last season in Knoxville in sweeping fashion.
Following its Conference USA regular season and tournament title, WKU enters the NCAA Tournament with a 29-4 record. The Hilltoppers currently own 20 sweeps on the season. WKU has only lost four matches this season, all of which come from NCAA contending teams.
The Hilltoppers will be making the program's 16th NCAA Tournament appearance - all under head coach Travis Hudson. WKU has been in the tournament nine of the last 10 and 12 of the last 14 seasons. WKU Volleyball is 8-15 all-time in the NCAA tournament. The Hilltoppers have made it to the Second Round in 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022. In the spring 2020-21 campaign, WKU made its deepest tournament run in school history, advancing to the Sweet 16 before losing to the eventual national champions, Kentucky.
Fifth-year senior Paige Briggs is 5-4 in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Second Round in 2019, 2021, and 2022, and the Sweet 16 in 2020-21. She is the only player in program history to reach five NCAA Tournament berths and stay undefeated in regular-season conference play through her entire career.
Paige Briggs leads the team in kills this season with 424. Briggs is currently fourth in all-time kills and second in all-time attempts as a Hilltopper. Additionally, she owns the program record in most kills in a single match (35) and most aces in a single match (10). Setter Callie Bauer leads the league in total assists with 1,177, while averaging 10.42 a set.
WKU as a team holds the sixth-highest hitting clip in the nation, .303, while boasting first in CUSA in six categories including total kills (1,533), total aces (222), and opponent hitting percentage (.160).
The Tops have claimed the No. 21 spot in this week's AVCA rankings. WKU has now been ranked or received votes in consecutive polls, dating back into the 2019 campaign.
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU Volleyball earned an an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history. The Hilltoppers have gone to The Dance the last 8-of-9 total seasons in CUSA, this season's trip to NCAAs marks WKU's 16th overall trip.
- Fifth-year Paige Briggs picked up her first CUSA Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year award, while being named CUSA All-Conference for 2023. Head coach Travis Hudson was tabbed Coach of the Year, while middle hitter Logan Grevengoed earned the league's Freshman of the Year award, while claiming All-Freshman Team nods. Kaylee Cox and Callie Bauer joined Briggs on the All-Conference Team, junior Kenadee Coyle was tabbed All-Conference Second Team, and middle hitters Gabby Weihe and Izzy Van De Wiele each claimed a spot on the Freshman Team.
- Abby Schaefer, Kaylee Cox, Callie Bauer, and Paige Briggs were all named to the Conference's All-Tournament Team. Briggs was named Tournament MVP.
- Since 2011, WKU is the winningest team in the nation with 375 wins.
- WKU went undefeated in the CUSA regular season, going 16-0, and continuing a 74-match winning streak that dates back to 2018 and is the longest in the nation.
- Callie Bauer was tabbed to Conference USA's 11-member All-Academic Volleyball Team on Monday, Nov. 15. The honor marks the second for Bauer, a management major.
- WKU Volleyball is more accessible than ever with radio broadcasts for every match. The Tops are 1 of just 10 Division I Volleyball programs that currently have live radio for home and away matches.
