The Hilltoppers (26-5 overall, 15-1 CUSA) wasted no time on Saturday, with three players finishing in double digit kills while opposite hitter Kaira Knox and middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele paced the Hilltoppers with four blocks each.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 25-15
Knox was perfect in the first set, going 7-for-7 on offense and leading WKU's offense to a staggering.522 hitting percentage. Down by one at 7-6, WKU went on a 6-0 run, capped with an Owls' attack error, and inflated their lead to five and finished the run at 12-7. The Hilltoppers never surrendered the lead for the remainder of the frame. The Tops' defense, coupled with nine KSU hitting errors, limited the Owls' defense to a .152 hitting percentage in the frame. Knox finished with a team-high seven kills while four different Hilltoppers recorded one block. Libero Tayler Baron continued her dominance at the service line, posting her first of five service aces.
Set 2: 25-16
The Owls battled back in the second set, improving from a .152 hitting percentage to a .294, but WKU answered with a .455 hitting clip and a match high 17 digs. Skidmore led the way in the second frame with a .583 hitting percentage with seven kills. Middle hitter Faith Young started to increase her offensive production, finishing with five kills in the set. Baron and defensive specialist Abby Schaefer split defensive duties, pacing the Tops' back row with five digs each. On the service line, Baron continued to cause problems for the Owls, posting another two service aces.
Set 3: 28-26
Needing 28 points to close out the match, the final set was all about the middle hitters, with Young and Van De Wiele finishing with six kills each and a total of four blocks and combining for 12 of WKU's 17 kills. The pair also matched each other's offensive performance perfectly, with both collecting their six kills on nine attacks. WKU erupted at the net and posted five total team blocks behind three blocks from both Knox and Van De Wiele. Outsider hitter Sonja Laaksonen was responsible for the only solo block. Baron finished with two more service aces while Schaefer was responsible for the third.
NOTABLES
- Tayler Baron has recorded five service aces in back-to-back matches.
- WKU had three players finish with a hitting percentage above .500, Faith Young (.571), Izzy Van De Wiele (.571), and Kaira Knox (.643).
- Saturday's match marked Callie Bauer's seventh match with 40 or more assists, and the 29th of her career.
- Kaira Knox's .643 hitting percentage marks the fourth time this season she's hit over .500.
- With the win, WKU will play in its seventh straight CUSA tournament championship match.
- Fourteen digs marks the most in a single match in Kaira Knox's career.
UP NEXT
WKU will take on FIU in the CUSA tournament championship match on Sunday, Nov. 23. First serve is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.
