Freshman middle hitter Gabby Weihe and junior transfer Kaylee Cox both earned their first career starts in the Red and White, while both Logan Grevengoed and Kelsey Brangers finally came back to the court after last season battling with injuries. 12 of the 13 players on the WKU roster saw action for the morning match up.
Set 1
Coming out of the gate open and ready, WKU gained the first two points of the match off of a Marquette service error and block assist curtesy of Kenadee Coyle and Gabby Weihe. The Golden Eagles later went on a 7-1 run, wagering the largest gap in the set 7-3. The Tops rallied: kills from the front row of Paige Briggs, Logan Grevengoed, and Kaylee Cox also mixed in a defensive kill from Abby Schaefer and a Cox service ace concluded a tie at 10 points apiece. WKU went on to gain three straight before Marquette cut off the run. At 17 points for the Hilltoppers, WKU went on a 4-0 run with two kills by Cox, a dump over the net from setter Callie Bauer, and a block from Grevengoed and Cox to reach 20. The two top-25 teams traded points till the end, until WKU solidified the first frame off of another Golden Eagles service error.
Set 2
A tight race in the set frame, Callie Bauer opened up on the service line with a Paige Briggs kill, and later a service ace – catching the Golden Eagles looking behind them. Western Kentucky and Marquette stayed even keel the entire match, not straying over four points to each other the entire set. After taking a 9-5 lead off of a four-point run for the Tops that included back-to-back service aces for Kelsey Brangers, the Golden Eagles buckled down for five straight to take the lead. WKU and Marquette traded on the board, as the Hilltoppers eventually took a 20-17 lead off of a block by Grevengoed and Bauer. Marquette would pull through, keeping it tight, until a kill from Jenna Reitsma would mark 24 all and extra points for the set. Marquette managed two more from the net and even the match, 1-1.
Set 3
A slow start for the Tops, Marquette took a 5-1 lead after two kills and a service error, while the Hilltoppers jumped back into the match with a kill from Cox and attacking error on Marquette. WKU would rally, tying the frame 10-10 with a Katie Howard service ace. The two teams would trade back and forth until Marquette gained the edge with four straight and a 22-20 lead. WKU would flip the script and take four of their own with kills from Coyle and Grevengoed. A Marquette attacking error would seal 25 points in the set and the match lead for the Hilltoppers.
Set 4
Wrapping up the match, the Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles kept a tight race to 25, never falling below two points of each other until hitting nine points each from a Paige Briggs kill on the outside. Marquette would venge into a 4-0 run, leading head coach Travis Hudson to burn a timeout. The Tops pushed, edging Marquette while they held the slight lead until WKU broke through on a 4-1 run with Grevengoed and Weihe kills. Only letting the Golden Eagles take back three more points, the Hilltoppers pushed out four straight and ended the ranked match with two kills from the outside hand of Kaylee Cox.
SCHEDULE
Friday, August 25 – No. 24 WKU def. No. 12 Marquette, 3-1
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
POST-MATCH NOTES
- Revamping with a new slate after a group of five seniors, including Lauren Matthews and Katie Isenbarger graduated, WKU started Callie Bauer, Paige Briggs, Kaylee Cox, Kenadee Coyle, Logan Grevengoed, Gabby Weihe, and sophomore Abby Schaefer in at libero.
- Friday's meeting was the fourth between the sides in program history, tying both programs a 2-2 in the all-time series.
- This is the first top-15 win for the Hilltoppers since No. 5 Wisconsin in 2015.
- With the win over Marquette, WKU has now won five-straight season opening matches.
- Junior transfer Kaylee Cox made her mark for the Red and White, collecting 15 kills and a service ace on the sheet.
- In her college debut, Gabby Weihe notched six kills, and led WKU with four blocks on defense.
- Redshirt-sophomore Callie Bauer picked up a double-double, racking up 46 assists to go along with 10 digs.
- With the win, head coach Travis Hudson is now 20-8 all-time in season openers.
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.
