GAME INFO
- Location: L&N Federal Credit Union Arena
- (7) WKU vs. Marquette
- When: Dec. 5 (3 p.m. CT)
- Watch: Friday, Dec. 5
- Follow: Friday, Dec. 5
- Listen: The Varsity Network
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU Volleyball opens its 18th NCAA tournament against Marquette, but the match is not the first time this season the two teams have played each other. The same can be said of Loyola Chicago and Louisville. WKU played Loyola Chicago on Aug. 29, Marquette on Sept. 5, and Louisville on Sept. 22.
- WKU won its third straight Conference USA tournament title after making an appearance in its seventh straight tournament finals match. Alivia Skidmore led the way with 25 kills and a .400 hitting clip. Skidmore's 25 kills was also a career high for the sophomore.
- Callie Bauer was named CUSA tournament MVP, while Alivia Skidmore, Faith Young, and Tayler Baron joined Bauer on the All-Tournament team. Baron finished with a team high 11 service aces, Bauer tallied 142 assists and led the Tops to a .350 hitting percentage across the three matches. Young hit .369 and finished with nine blocks, and finally, Skidmore collected a total of 46 kills on a .404 hitting percentage.
- Callie Bauer earned the Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year award, marking the fifth straight year a Hilltopper has won the award. Since renaming the award after Cavanaugh in 2021, only a member of WKU Volleyball has won the award (Lauren Matthews - 2021, 2022, Paige Briggs - 2023, Kaylee Cox - 2024, Callie Bauer - 2025). Izzy Van De Wiele earned Defensive Player of the Year, Kaira Knox earned Freshman of the Year, and Bauer also won Setter of the Year, her second consecutive SOTY award.
- Alivia Skidmore, Faith Young, Bauer, Van De Wiele, and Knox all earned First Team All-Conference while Tayler Baron earned Second Team honors. Knox was also named to the CUSA All-Freshmen team.
- With the win on Nov. 15 against Liberty, the Hilltoppers earned their 11th CUSA championship in 12 possible seasons. It's also their seventh consecutive regular season championship. The regular season championship also brings WKU's program championship total to 35.
- With the win on Saturday, Oct. 25, WKU extended its 20-win season streak to 26 seasons. The streak is currently the longest active streak of 20 or more wins in the country.
- Individual Statistical Leaders:
- Kills: Alivia Skidmore, 361
- Assists: Callie Bauer, 1,073
- Service Aces: Faith Young, 33
- Blocks: Izzy Van De Wiele, 103
- Digs: Tayler Baron, 397
QUOTABLE
"Marquette in the first round will be a real challenge," said head coach Travis Hudson. "They beat us earlier in the year at their place, but I'd like to think we're really different than we were then. Izzy Van De Wiele was coming off an injury, Callie Bauer was injured, Gabby Weihe was injured, and we were super young. We've undoubtedly since that time, but it's going to take some growth to beat a perennial NCAA tournament team that I have a lot of respect for. I'm looking forward to only having an hour and a half bus ride to get there this time of year. We're blessed to be staying at home and we're looking forward to getting started."
Travis Hudson 12/1 Press Conference
SERIES INFORMATION
- The Hilltoppers are 2-4 all-time against Marquette. WKU is also 0-3 against the Golden Eagles when playing them on neutral territory. On Sept. 5, Marquette beat WKU, 3-0 at the Al McGuire Center.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
- This will be the second time the Tops see the Golden Eagles in 2025. On Sept. 5, Marquette defeated WKU, 3-0. In that match, Alivia Skidmore led with 16 kills while Izzy Van De Wiele led with four blocks.
- Marquette fell in the first round of the Big East tournament to Creighton but secured an at-large bid with a 33 RPI.
- Elena Radeff and Natalie Ring led Marquette with 10 kills each on Sept. 5, while Keira Schmidt led six blocks.
- On the season, Ring leads the Golden Eagles' offense with 492 kills and a .269 hitting clip. Hattie Bray is second with 267 kills and a .369 hitting percentage. Ring's 4.52 kills per set is ranked 20th in the nation. In addition, her 452 kills is ranked 36th nationally.
- Bray and Schmidt lead Marquette's net defense, with Bray recording 90 blocks and Schmidt posting 66. Bray's 1.20 blocks per set is ranked 72nd in the country.
- Marquette's floor defense is led by Adriana Stuter with 370 digs and is averaging 3.70 digs per set.
