SCHEDULE
Friday, August 25 – 10 a.m. CT | No. 24 WKU vs. No. 12 Marquette | Stats | Varsity Network Radio
Friday, August 25 – 6 p.m. CT | at Dayton | Stats | Watch | Varsity Network Radio
Saturday, August 26 – 2 p.m. CT | No. 24 WKU vs. Drake | Stats | Varsity Network Radio
No. 24 WKU will play its first match against 2022 sweet sixteen No. 12 Marquette on Friday morning on August 25. Like the Hilltoppers in 2022, the Golden Eagles wrapped up their season 29-4. Losing to No. 15 Creighton in the Big East Tournament Championship, Marquette got an at-large to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the sweet sixteen until succumbing, 1-3. to eventual national champion, Texas in Austin.
WKU faces off against host Dayton Friday night, August 25 at 6 p.m. CT. As the 2023 poll has not been released yet, the Flyers were picked to win the A-10 in 2022, only to have their season end in the A-10 Volleyball Tournament to one-seed Loyola Chicago. They wrapped up last season 20-14, now returning five starters and 13 players from the 2022 roster.
The Red and White's final match of the weekend comes against the Missouri Valley's Drake on Saturday, August 26. This is the first meeting since 2004, as the Bulldogs are coming off of a 30-9 season, as NIVC runner-up in 2022. Drake was selected in second place to Missouri State in the MVC preseason poll.
WKU Volleyball is coming off a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament in their 2022 campaign. They finished 29-4 on the season with the only losses coming to No. 3 Louisville, Texas A&M, No. 22 Rice, and No. 15 Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament in Lexington.
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU has been predicted to win the conference title in the Conference USA Preseason Poll voted by the league's coaches. Callie Bauer, Paige Briggs, Kaylee Cox, and Kenadee Coyle, were all selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Briggs was tabbed Preseason Player of the Year. After a third place finish in 2022, UTEP was predicted to finish second.
- WKU Volleyball was ranked 24th in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Hilltoppers have now been ranked in the top 25 in 12 of the last 13 seasons and received votes for 13 consecutive campaigns.
- WKU will open a season ranked for just the sixth time in program history during the 2023 fall campaign, also marking the third time the team will do so in back-to-back campaigns. The Hilltoppers came in at No. 25 to begin the 2020-21 spring season, No. 16 to kick off fall 2021, and No. 21 in 2022. In 2013, WKU was ranked in the AVCA Preseason poll for the first time, coming in at No. 21 before owning the 22nd slot prior to the 2016 season.
- Last season, WKU owned a 29-4 overall record after earning the Conference USA regular season title, only suffering two regular season losses. The Hilltoppers opened play in the NCAA with a 3-0 sweep of Bowling Green before succumbing to No. 15 Kentucky in the second round in Lexington.
- All-American Paige Briggs is returning for her fifth year of eligibility on The Hill in 2023. The outside hitter is a four-time All-Conference, four-time AVCA All-Region, and two-time AVCA All-American Honorable Mention that is in the program's top 10 in career attempts, kills, and kills/set.
- Anchoring into his 29th year on The Hill, head coach Travis Hudson is the longest current tenured head coach at WKU, and long-serving in the volleyball program. Hudson is a five-time C-USA Coach of the Year, seven-time AVCA South Region Coach of the Year, holds 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 23 consecutive 20-win seasons -- second longest in the NCAA.
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
