Hilltoppers Defeat Flames in Three

Friday, November 14

Lynchburg, VA

5 p.m. CT

Western Kentucky University

23-5,14-1CUSA

Liberty

20-8,8-7CUSA

Western Ky.

Liberty

Photo by: Caty Llamas, WKU Athletics

11/14/2025 8:55:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- WKU Volleyball took down the Liberty Flames in three sets on Friday behind double-digit offensive performances from opposite hitter Kaira Knox and middle hitter Faith Young.

The pair combined for a total of 24 kills for the Hilltoppers (23-5 overall, 14-1 CUSA) and Young led the defensive charge with five blocks against the Flames (20-8 overall, 8-7 CUSA). As a team, WKU posted a .346 hitting percentage and was able to keep the Flames to only a .146 hitting percentage.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 25-20
Knox led the way in the first frame with five kills and a .833 hitting percentage while Young and outside hitter Alivia Skidmore tied with three kills each. Libero Tayler Baron recorded the only service ace of the set and also anchored the back row with five digs. At the net, WKU posted two team blocks, a total of four block assists. Young was responsible for two, and Knox and outside hitter Sonja Laaksonen had the other two.

Set 2: 25-22
The second set went much like the first as WKU posted a .300 hitting percentage. Knox once again paced the offense with six kills while Skidmore finished with the second most with five. The Tops' offense was relentless against the Flames as WKU collected 16 kills and were not blocked once. WKU's defense was just as aggressive, with every Hilltopper in the set earning one dig to finish the set with 21. Baron led in digs with eight, and the team collected a total of three blocks led by Young with two.

Set 3: 25-17
The final frame of the evening featured WKU's best blocking efforts with four total blocks. Van De Wiele and setter Callie Bauer posted a solo block each with Skidmore, Young, Laaksonen, and Van De Wiele recording one block assist each. Offensively, the middles led the way as Young recorded five kills, and Van De Wiele was responsible for four. The third set was also WKU's best performance at the service line. Bauer recorded two service aces and Young rounded out the serving efforts with the third.

NOTABLES

Friday's match marks Kaira Knox's 12th match with double-digit kills and is Faith Young's seventh.
Kaira Knox recorded her 100th career dig.
Callie Bauer is now 187 assists away from the 5,000-career assist mark.
Faith Young's five blocks is the most for the sophomore since Sept. 19 when she posted five blocks against Bradley.

UP NEXT
WKU finishes its regular season schedule with a match against Liberty on Saturday, Nov. 15. First serve is set for 12 p.m. CT. With a win, WKU will clinch at least a share of the regular season championship.