BOWLING GREEN, KY. -- WKU Volleyball pushed the #16 Tennessee Volunteers to five sets in their home opening match of the 2024 season, but came up just short in the 2-3 loss.
Senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox once again led for the Hilltoppers (4-3 overall) with a season-high 18 kills while sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele led in blocks with six and junior libero Abby Schaefer led with 43 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 22-25
Cox and sophomore middle hitter Gabby Weihe split offensive duties in Set One with Cox grabbing five kills alongside Weihe's three. Tennessee (3-2 overall) hit .308 as a team while WKU hit .267.
Set 2: 25-15
WKU held Tennessee to their fewest points in all five sets, limiting the Lady Vols to only 11 kills in 33 attempts with five errors for a meager .121 hitting percentage to WKU's .333. Defensively, five different Hilltoppers were credited with at least one block assist while Van De Wiele was leading the defensive charge with four total blocks through two sets.
Set 3: 12-25
Knocked down and getting right back up were the Lady Vols in set three who held the Hilltoppers to their fewest points in five sets. WKU was held to a -.100 hitting percentage but not without senior outside hitter Kenadee Coyle registering three kills.
Set 4: 25-9
The fourth set for WKU featured a .414 team hitting percentage highlighted by an 8-2 scoring run to put the Hilltoppers up, 18-13. Tennessee would get within one four times before set point, but not before Coyle registered her seventh kill to win set point.
Set 5: 11-15
For the first time in seven matches, WKU found itself in a five-set match against the Volunteers. The Hilltoppers pulled within one, 11-12, but were unable to overcome the Lady Vols. Cox led in kills with four also posting a service ace in set five.
NOTABLES
- Tuesday's match against Tennessee was WKU's first five-set match of the season
- The 53 team kills is a season-high
- Kaylee Cox's 18 kills is a season-high through seven matches
QUOTABLE
"Obviously a hard-fought match and a huge thank you to our crowd, what a great atmosphere for college volleyball," said head coach Travis Hudson. "Again, we haven't been a very good version of ourselves this early in the year, but tonight we were. Tonight, I think we showed anyone who watched that we're a team to be reckoned with and one of the better teams in the country. That is a very good Tennessee team that I thought played at a very high level and I thought we matched it. When you get into a fifth set, it truly is a bounce here or there. Always is in a fifth set, and tonight it just wasn't our turn."
Travis Hudson Postgame Interview
NEXT UP
The Hilltoppers host their first tournament of the 2024 season starting with a match against Marquette on Friday. First serve is set for 11 a.m.
