"No matter what, we are still a work in progress out there. It's what we have to be for a while", said head coach Travis Hudson. "We're proud of our kids, proud of the weekend we had, and I'm looking forward to being a football fan this evening."
Setter Callie Bauer dominated on the service line with a career-high five aces and the group holding onto a season-low three service errors, while the Tops chipped away with a .345 hitting clip on the afternoon. Redshirt-freshman Logan Grevengoed led the defense with three blocks from the middle.
WKU 3, College of Charleston 0: 25-16, 25-15, 25-13
Set 1
A dominate start for the home team, the Tops opened up the board with a sideout service error on the Cougars, followed by five straight points for a heavy 6-0 lead. A Callie Bauer/Logan Grevengoed block, Kaylee Cox ace, and kills from Bauer and Paige Briggs led the charge. Charleston took two more of their own and the two rallied over the net and on the board until the next Hilltopper run of four for a 13-5 lead. Broken up by a kill from the Cougar's Anna Smith, the Tops took care of the next three points. As Charleston embarked on double-digit points, the Red and White picked up a solo block from Cox and block assist featuring Kenadee Coyle and Izzy Van De Wiele to mark a 22-11 set. The visitors grinded through a 4-1 run to edge the Tops nearing set point, but a kill down the middle of the hand of Cox would seal the first frame.
Set 2
The Tops and Cougars stayed closer during the front end of the second set. Tied up at three apiece, the Hilltoppers took three straight that included kills from the middle off of Grevengoed and freshman Gabby Weihe. Charleston settled in for a 3-1 run, edging a one-point match before Kaylee Cox and the Tops grabbed four straight that featured back-to-back-to-back kills from the junior transfer from Missouri. WKU held onto a five-point lead before racing through four straight, then another 4-0 run, ended on back-to-back service aces for Abby Schaefer to take the match lead.
Set 3
A 5-1 run with kills from Cox and Briggs, two sideout points, and a service ace from Katie Howard opened up the final set of the afternoon. After a three-point advantage, WKU dashed down the board for seven straight points forcing the Cougars to use a timeout. The 7-0 run featured four of the five service aces off the hand of Callie Bauer, freezing Charleston's defense. Out of the break, the two traded points on the board until two Cox kills and a block assist from Grevengoed and Briggs widened a 10-point lead. The Red and White carried on throughout the set, picking up three more kills for Paige Briggs and Callie Bauer's final ace while wrapping up the tournament with a kill from freshman Izzy Van De Wiele.
SCHEDULE
Friday, September 8 – [RV] WKU def. Troy, 3-0
Friday, September 8 – No. 17 Arkansas def. [RV] WKU, 2-3
Saturday, September 9 – [RV] WKU def. College of Charleston, 3-0
POST-MATCH NOTES
- WKU started Callie Bauer, Paige Briggs, Kelsey Brangers Kaylee Cox, Logan Grevengoed, Gabby Weihe, and freshman Abby Schaefer in at libero.
- After a loss in 2018, the Tops built their way back to lead the all-time series between the College of Charleston, 2-1.
- Outside hitters Kaylee Cox and Paige Briggs earned themselves on to the All-Tournament team after a combined 75 kills through the weekend.
- With Callie Bauer leading the Tops, WKU hit 11 service aces through three sets.
- On offense, Briggs hit 10 kills for another double-digit match, followed by Kaylee Cox with eight on the outside, and Kenadee Coyle with seven from the right.
- Libero Abby Schaefer and Kaylee Cox both picked up 10 digs from the back row, followed by Paige Briggs with seven.
- After a quick midweek to Austin Peay on Tuesday, the Hilltoppers are back next weekend to host the first annual Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic, Sept. 15 and 16.
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.
