EL PASO, Texas – A well balanced WKU Volleyball team punched its ticket to the CUSA tournament championship match on Saturday after a 76 minute, three set sweep of Kennesaw State University.
Senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox was the only one to reach double digit kills, but that didn't matter as WKU (27-6 overall) hit for .507 [42-6-71] on the afternoon with four other Hilltoppers finishing with at least five kills. The WKU defense held the Owls (14-17 overall) to a meager .125 [29-19-80] hitting clip while also collecting four blocks, led by sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele with three.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 25-17
WKU only posted one hitting error in the entire first set as each player with at least one offensive attempt posted a hitting percentage over .400. Cox led the way with five kills on seven attempts, while senior rightside hitter Kenadee Coyle and freshman pin hitter Faith Young went a perfect 3-for-3 at the net. The Hilltoppers' offensive efforts were good enough for a .682 [16-1-22] hitting percentage. WKU continued to produce at the service line, with Cox and redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer posting a service ace each.
Set 2: 25-13
While the second set may have been slower offensively for the Hilltoppers—hitting .370 compared to .682—Cox and Skidmore continued to perform with three kills each. However, six different Hilltoppers recorded at least one kill each, including junior middle hitter Gabby Weihe. Skidmore grabbed the sole service ace of the set while junior libero Abby Schaefer recorded five digs, bringing her total to eight through two.
Set 3: 25-14
WKU surged back to a .500 [13-2-22] hitting percentage in the final set as Coyle took the reins and poured in four kills. Van De Wiele added another three kills to her total with Cox and Skidmore adding another two. Both Young and Van De Wiele stuffed one solo block each while freshman defensive specialist Camila Adams recorded her sixth service ace of the season to send the Hilltoppers to the championship match.
NOTABLES
- With the win, WKU is heading to their sixth straight CUSA tournament championship match
- Callie Bauer finished with 33 assists
- Izzy Van De Wiele finished with three blocks, including one solo effort
- Abby Schaefer led in digs with 11
- Callie Bauer finished with a team high three service aces
NEXT UP
The Hilltoppers move on to the championship match of the CUSA tournament. First serve is set for Sunday, Nov. 24 at noon. The opponent will be determined by the NMSU/UTEP match.
Follow the Hilltoppers on X (@WKUVolleyball) and Instagram (@wku_volleyball) as the team continues its CUSA campaign.
