BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Playing at Diddle Arena for the last time in 2024, the WKU Volleyball seniors led the way to defeat Liberty, 3-1, in front of the 12th best crowd in program history.
Senior hitters Kaylee Cox and Kenadee Coyle finished in double digit kills—23 and 17 respectively--while sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele led the way defensively with 10 total blocks. Cox's 23 kills for the Hilltoppers (25-6 overall, 18-0 CUSA) ties her career best while Coyle's 17 kills against the Flames (13-17 overall, 7-11 CUSA) is a season high.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 25-15
Coyle swung for a staggering .800 [4-0-5] in the first set while Cox and freshman outside hitter Faith Young put together three kill performances. Junior middle hitter Gabby Weihe and Coyle banded together for a block while Van De Wiele grabbed one of the solo variety. WKU capitalized on six attack errors from the flames as well as 13 total kills to hold the Flames to a minuscule .063 [8-6-24] hitting percentage to their .400 [13-3-25] clip. Cox also recorded two service aces while junior defensive specialist Callahan Wiegandt had one of her own.
Set 2: 25-15
Cruising to another win in set two, the Hilltoppers posted another hitting percentage over .350 with a .367 [15-4-30] while Liberty could not improve past .100 with a .062 [9-7-32] in the second. Coyle handed Cox the offensive lead with the Texas native collecting six kills to Coyle's four. Meanwhile at the net, Van De Wiele added another two blocks with Cox matching her defensive efforts with two blocks of her own. A third Hilltopper, senior outside hitter Katie Howard, added a service ace to their stat line as well.
Set 3: 28-26
The Flames battled back in the third set, eventually winning 28-26. Despite registering more kills than Liberty, WKU's attack and service errors were the difference maker in the frame. Cox put together an eight kill performance while Coyle was second with four. Van De Wiele also added another three blocks to her total.
Set 4: 32-30
Needing eight different match points before the decisive 32-30, both Liberty and WKU recorded at least 15 kills—16 and 17 respectively—but it was the perfect ending to Senior Day with Coyle scoring her only service ace of the entire season to end the match. Both Coyle and freshman outside hitter Alivia Skidmore registered five kills each while Cox put up another six. Van De Wiele capped off the night with another four blocks while Coyle put up three of her own.
NOTABLES
- The win against Liberty marked the 92nd straight CUSA regular season win.
- Kaylee Cox's 23 kills ties her career high as a Hilltopper.
- Callie Bauer finished with 51 assists.
- Abby Schaefer and Callahan Wiegandt tied for the lead in digs with 11.
- Three different Hilltoppers, Bauer, Cox, and Wiegandt, finished with two service aces.
NEXT UP
With their perfect CUSA campaign complete, the Hilltoppers will head to El Paso, Tex. next week to play in the CUSA tournament. Having secured the one seed, WKU will play on Friday, Nov. 22 at noon with the opponent announced later this weekend.
Follow the Hilltoppers on X (@WKUVolleyball) and Instagram (@wku_volleyball) as the team continues its CUSA campaign.
