Coming in as a serving specialist, Katie Howard picked up four aces from the service line to lead the Red and White, while the group as a whole clocked double-digit aces to the Trojans' none.
WKU 3, Troy 0: 25-16, 25-20, 25-16
Set 1
Kaylee Cox got to jump on the board fast with a kill down the left side off the assist from Callie Bauer. The two rallied back and forth on the court until the Tops blasted out a 4-0 run to burn a Troy timeout, ending it on a Paige Briggs service ace. At the 12-6 Tops point, freshman Gabby got herself a kill from the middle while Abby Schaefer earned an ace from the line and the Troy offense created an attacking error for three straight Hilltopper points. After a service error, WKU pulled back three more as they later broke out a 5-1 run featuring a Kaylee Cox kill, two kills off the hand of Briggs, and back-to-back service aces for Katie Howard. Regrouping after the Trojans' own 4-1 run, the Tops rushed to 25 with a stuffed block off the arms of Weihe and Cox.
Set 2
As Troy is keeping a tight match in the second frame, the two stayed fairly even until three apiece and the Trojans bounced on a 4-0 run for their largest lead of the set. Bringing themselves back to the court, the Tops jumped within one with a Bauer setter's dump, Briggs kill and service ace. After a kill from the left side and double block, the contest was tied at eight. Exploding into an 8-1 run, the Hilltoppers now led the match 17-13 with three kills, two blocks, and three service aces. Picking things back up, the two rallied over the net while and Kenadee Coyle kill from the right and stuff block from Coyle and Grevengoed margined a five-point lead. The Tops carried out the match in front, ending on two Paige Briggs kills from the six-rotation player.
Set 3
The Trojans opened up the final frame with a kill off the hand of outside hitter Tori Hester cross-court. The Tops answered back with a 3-1 run: all from kills off each of the front row. Troy pushed three back, taking a two-point lead, before WKU drove into a 7-1 run featuring kills from the entire front row, a setter's dump by Bauer, block from Izzy Van De Wiele and Coyle, and two sideout points from the visitors. The Trojans went on a 3-0 push before the Red and White went on a 6-2 jump before another 7-1 run to gain a 10-point lead on the Teraflex court. Troy fought back for three more of their own on the board before Paige Briggs shut them down on match point with a cross-court kill.
SCHEDULE
Friday, September 8 – [RV] WKU def. Troy, 3-0
Friday, September 8 – [RV] WKU hosts No. 17 Arkansas – 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, September 9 – [RV] WKU hosts College of Charleston – 12:30 p.m. CT
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU started Callie Bauer, Paige Briggs, Kelsey Brangers Kaylee Cox, Logan Grevengoed, Gabby Weihe, and freshman Abby Schaefer in at libero.
- As a former member of the Sun Belt Conference, WKU leads the all-time series with Troy, 22-1.
- Collecting 10 service aces as a team, Katie Howard led the charge for the Red and White from the line with four aces – including two back-to-back in the first set.
- The Hilltoppers saw five players hitting over .400 in the morning, including setter Callie Bauer and outside hitter Kaylee Cox with error-free matches.
- Paige Briggs led the charge on the outside, picking up a season-high 17 kills on the left, working with a .405 hitting clip.
- Back in libero, Abby Schaefer notched 14 digs in the back row during the match, followed by Cox with 11.
- The Hilltoppers will be back to Diddle Arena in two back-to-back weekends to host the Holiday Inn-University Plaza Invitational and the first inaugural Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic.
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.
