The Hilltoppers finish their season with a 27-6 overall record, a 15-1 record in Conference USA play, and their 10th CUSA regular season championship and 11th CUSA tournament championship.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 25-22
A balanced Hilltopper offense in the first set resulted in six different players with at least two kills and a .469 hitting percentage. Van De Wiele led the way with five kills and fellow middle hitter Faith Young was second with four kills. The two teams tied with 17 kills, but Marquette (18-10 overall, 11-5 Big East) bested the Hilltoppers at the service line with three service aces. Van De Wiele and setter Callie Bauer were responsible for WKU's lone block of the set.
Set 2: 25-21
The two squads traded blows throughout the second set, finishing the frame with the score tied 12 different times. Knox, Van De Wiele, and pin hitter Alivia Skidmore all finished with at least four kills, with Skidmore pacing the offense with five. The Tops recorded more blocks than the Golden Eagles, 2-0. Both Van De Wiele and Knox were responsible for both team blocks.
Set 3: 25-16
WKU's net defense erupted in the final set, logging four team blocks to Marquette's three. Van De Wiele posted two solo blocks, Knox posted one solo block, and Bauer and Young rounded out the total with a block each. Knox was also WKU's best offensive weapon in the frame with eight kills and a .545 hitting clip.
QUOTABLE
"What a tremendous match by Marquette," said head coach Travis Hudson. "We had no answer for them offensively tonight, none. They played very clean, they played at a high level. We didn't put a ton of pressure on them from the service line. So just really, really frustrating from a defensive standpoint. If you hit .320 in the NCAA tournament, you're supposed to win and you know, we certainly didn't get that accomplished tonight. So very disappointing end for our team, but a ton of credit to a really, really fine Marquette team. They have a lot of youth in their roster like we do and really grew throughout the year and without question, the best team advanced tonight."
Travis Hudson Post-Match Press Conference
NOTABLES
- Setter Callie Bauer finishes her career at WKU with 4,978 career assists and ends the 2025 season as the leader in active career assists.
- Kaira Knox paced the WKU offense with 14 kills and Izzy Van De Wiele led the defense with five blocks, including two solo efforts.
- Tayler Baron finished with double-digit digs, 13, and defensive specialist Abby Schaefer was second with six.
