AT THE MATCH
- WKU Match Tickets
- 50% of Friday's ticket sales will go toward Hope for Harlie and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation!
- 10/17 vs. Sam Houston (6 p.m. CT)
- Hope for Harlie & Kate Rush Trading Card Giveaway
- 10/18 vs. Sam Houston (1 p.m. CT)
- Hilltopper Luau/HAF Appreciation & Gabby Weihe Trading Card Giveaway
- Location: E.A. Diddle Arena
- Watch: Friday, 10/17 | Saturday, 10/18
- Listen: The Varsity Network
- Parking: Parking in PS1 or PS2 will be free.
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU Volleyball improved its conference match win streak to 98 with two wins against Louisiana Tech.
- Of WKU's 98 wins, 74 have been three-set sweeps, 19 were four-set matches, and only seven were five-set matches.
- FIU has taken the Tops to five the most with three matches, Rice with two, and Liberty and UTEP with one each.
- WKU posted a season-high .518 hitting percentage to LA Tech's .078 in Saturday's match.
- Callie Bauer was the complete package against the Bulldogs, earning her keep on both sides of the net and on both rows. Bauer finished the weekend with 66 assists and averaged 11.00 per set while leading the Hilltoppers to a cumulative .431 hitting percentage. She also led WKU to its first match with a .500+ hitting percentage on Saturday when the Hilltoppers finished with a 518 mark [47-3-85].
- WKU's three hitting errors on Saturday was the fewest posted by the Hilltoppers since Sept. 21, 2013 when they posted five against Wright State.
- The Tops rank in the top 50 nationally in five different statistical categories: hitting percentage (9th, .292), assists per set (14th, 13.12), blocks per set (24th, 2.65), kills per set (13th, 14.13), and opponent hitting percentage (24th, .167).
- In CUSA, the Hilltoppers are at the top of the statistical standings in assists, kills, blocks, and are the best serve receive team in the conference with an opponent service ace rate of 1.03 per set.
- Individual Statistical Leaders:
- Kills: Alivia Skidmore, 204
- Assists: Callie Bauer, 535
- Service Aces: Faith Young, 20
- Blocks: Izzy Van De Wiele, 53
- Digs: Tayler Baron, 208
- Since WKU's match against Indiana on Sept. 19, Alivia Skidmore has led the Hilltopper offense. She's collected a total of 204 kills, an average of 3.40 kills per set, and a .275 hitting percentage.
- Underclassmen are a large makeup of the Hilltoppers this season, and they're responsible for more than 57% of WKU's kills so far. The top three hitters, Alivia Skidmore, Kaira Knox, and Faith Young are credited with 438 of WKU's 762 kills.
- WKU Head Coach Travis Hudson is currently five wins away from 800 career wins, and his Hilltoppers are two wins away from a 100-match win streak in conference play.
- Should the Hilltoppers reach 100 straight regular season conference match wins this weekend, they will rank third all-time in NCAA DI Volleyball in the longest win streak of that nature.
QUOTABLE
"Sam Houston is an interesting program," said Head Coach Travis Hudson. "I have so much respect for the program and the coaches. That's the story line of the weekend. I'm the rookie coach when it comes to this matchup. She has been at Sam Houston for over 40 years. I may have to pick her brain a little bit about what it's like to coach. I've only been doing this 31 years. She's a legend in the sport, and she does a really good job every year of looking at her roster and figuring out what they have to do to win. Every time I see a Sam Houston team, they look a little different to me. She's so creative in finding ways and figuring out their roster and what their roster gives them every year, and then figures out how to be competitive doing it. They're young this year, like we are, and they've had their ups and downs, but they're always a tremendously competitive group.
Travis Hudson Press Conference
SERIES INFORMATION
- Sam Houston
- WKU leads the all-time series against the Bearkats, 4-1. The two squads have been playing each other since 1986. WKU took both matches from SHSU last season.
- The Hilltoppers have a 2-0 record when playing SHSU at E.A. Diddle Arena.
SCOUTING
- Sam Houston (8-11 overall, 0-6 CUSA)
- In the 2025 CUSA Preseason Coaches' Poll, Sam Houston was picked to finish eighth.
- The Bearkats are currently 8-11 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
- Chloe Monson leads the Bearkats offense with 287 total kills and has an average of 3.63 kills per set and possesses a hitting percentage of .176.
- Lauren Malone is right behind Monson with 211 kills and a hitting percentage of .187. She's also working with an average of 2.67 kills per set through 79 sets played.
- At the tape, Rachelle Reed leads the way with 72 total blocks and an average of 1.03 blocks per set. On the floor, Shaelin White leads with 333 digs.
- In 2024, Sam Houston finished the 2024 season ranked 216th in RPI.
