Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invitational // Sept. 8-9 // Diddle Arena |
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| Match 8: Troy (0-5) | Fri., Sept. 8 | 11 a.m. CT | ESPN+ | Varsity Radio Network // Listen Live | Livestats | ||||
| Match 9: No. 17 Arkansas (4-2) | Fri., Sept. 8 | 7 p.m. CT | ESPN+ | Varsity Radio Network // Listen Live | Livestats | ||||
| Match 10: College of Charleston (3-5) | Sat., Sept. 9 | 12:30 p.m. CT | Varsity Radio Network // Listen Live | Livestats | ||||
| Tickets | Flexible Ticket Package | Single game tickets available at entrance ($6 adults, $3 youth) | ||||
| Promotions | Troy: Free admission | free coffee and donuts for first 100 fans Arkansas: Free admission with football ticket College of Charleston: Alumni Match | free admission with football ticket |
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| Game Notes | WKU | Troy | Arkansas | CofC | ||||
| Series History | Troy: WKU leads, 21-1 Arkansas: Arkansas leads, 1-0 College of Charleston: Tied, 1-1 |
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| Social Media | @WKUVolleyball | @WKU Volleyball  | Facebook  | YouTube  | Tik Tok |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- [RV] WKU Volleyball looks set to open a two-weekend homestand from E.A. Diddle Arena after opening the 2023 campaign with a 4-3 record, all six of which coming from the road. The Hilltoppers will play three matches over the course of the weekend against Troy, No. 17 Arkansas, and College of Charleston in the Holiday Inn–University Plaza Hotel Invitational.
The Troy and No. 17 Arkansas matches will be streamed on ESPN+ with Scott Thompson and Ken Marshall on the call. As is the case for every Hilltopper match this season, all the action will also be available on the Varsity Radio Network with Reily Chestnut on the play-by-play call.
The morning Troy match with WKU along with the other neutral matches in Diddle Arena will be free admission. Fans can park normally in PS2 for matches on Friday. Due to the Saturday evening football game, parking for volleyball will only be available in PS1 on levels 4-7. Entrance two will be open for volleyball like normal.
FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday
11 a.m. CT - WKU hosts Troy (Free Admission)
1 p.m. CT – Arkansas (H) vs. College of Charleston (A) (Free Admission)
5 p.m. CT – College of Charleston (H) vs. Troy (V) (Free Admission)
7 p.m. CT – WKU hosts Arkansas
Saturday
10:30 a.m. CT – Troy (H) vs. Arkansas (A) (Free Admission)
12:30 p.m. CT – WKU hosts College of Charleston
WKU will open tournament play against Troy Friday morning, the first time meeting back since WKU was in the Sun Belt. The Trojans have opened 2023 with a 0-5 start, after coming off of last season with a 18-15 final record.
For the nightcap, WKU will face No. 17 Arkansas for the only ranked opponent inside Diddle Arena this season thus far. Capping on a 4-2 record, the Razorbacks have only taken two losses to No. 1 Wisconsin, one that included a five-set thriller in Madison.
The Red and White's final match of the weekend comes against College of Charleston on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. CT. With WKU's annual alumni match, past Hilltopper letterwinners will be recognized in attendance in between the second and third sets. The CofC Cougars are 3-5 this season under head coach Jason Kepner in his 17th season.
A tough weekend with tough obstacles, the Tops went 1-2 at the Penn State Invitational. After taking a 3-1 win over Patriot League preseason favorite Colgate, the Hilltoppers fell 3-1 to host No. 14 Penn State without the likes of Paige Briggs on the court. Even against a career weekend for rightside hitter Kenadee Coyle, WKU also succumbed to Sun Belt favorite James Madison on Saturday, 3-0.
Flexible season ticket packages are on sale now and include 15 vouchers that fans can use at any regular-season home match in whatever fashion they choose. Fans can opt for the traditional use of one ticket for all home matches or bring a group to a few matches. Flexible ticket packages are available for $50 at WKUTickets.com, by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED or by coming to the WKU Ticket Office during regular business hours.
Single match tickets are available at only entrance 2 on game day. Save 20% on single-match tickets when you buy online in advance.
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 received votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll this week. Up in the ranks earlier this season, the Hilltoppers have now been ranked in the top 25 in 12 of the last 13 seasons and received votes for 13 consecutive campaigns.
- After a rough 1-2 weekend with stiff competition in State College, junior Kenadee Coyle marked a career weekend after completing a career-high 14 kills against Colgate, while totaling 37 kills at a .498 hitting clip.
- 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.
- Picking up a 4-3 record so far on the year, the Hilltoppers picked up their first win in 2023 with a marquee 3-1 victory over No. 12 Marquette in Dayton, Ohio. It was the first Top-15 win for the Red and White since 2015.
- Staying in Diddle Arena, the Tops opened up their home slate with a Tuesday midweek sweep over Belmont, which drew in 2,167 fans around the court.
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.
