BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – With the preseason schedule well underway, WKU Volleyball heads to Johnson City, Tenn., to take on the Buccaneer Classic Presented by the Tri-Cities Airport. Over the two-day span, WKU will take on ETSU, VCU, and High Point.
GAME INFO
Location: Brooks Gymnasium
- WKU vs. High Point
- Sept. 12, 12:30 PM CT
- Follow: StatBroadcast
- Sept. 12, 12:30 PM CT
- WKU vs. ETSU
- Sept. 12, 5:30 PM CT
- Watch: ESPN+
- Follow: StatBroadcast
- WKU vs. VCU
- Sept. 13, 11 AM CT
- Follow: StatBroadcast
ABOUT THE TOPS
- The Hilltoppers stunned the No. 25 Flyers on Friday with a 3-0 sweep. WKU had not beaten Dayton since 2017, and hadn't done so with a sweep since 1984.
- WKU hit a .264 clip to its opponents' .240, with 92 kills to their 76. In addition, the Hilltopper defense collected one more block than its opponents, finishing with 17 on the weekend.
- Alivia Skidmore led the offensive charge with 30 kills across six sets, averaging five kills per set and a hitting percentage of .444 [30-6-54]. Kate Rush also stepped up at setter, collecting 46 assists.
- Kendall Meller also had a big weekend with 17 kills on 32 swings and did not register a single error to finish with a .531 hitting percentage.
- Rush, in addition to her 46 assists, also registered six blocks and 11 kills.
QUOTABLE
"I'm looking forward to this week," said WKU Head Coach Travis Hudson. "Hopefully we can get healthy, hopefully Izzy and Gabby can put their injuries behind them. Callie will be able to manage hers and we'll reset and try to go to East Tennessee and find some more wins."
Travis Hudson Press Conference
SERIES INFORMATION
- High Point
- WKU has never played High Point. Friday's meeting will be the first between the two programs.
- ETSU
- The Tops are 7-2 overall against the Buccaneers. WKU is currently on a five-match win streak dating back to Sept. 20, 1996, and is 1-0 when playing in Brooks Gymnasium. The most recent win for the Red & White came on Sept. 15, 2023, with a score of 3-0.
- VCU
- Saturday's match will be the 14th meeting all-time between the programs, with VCU leading, 9-4. When playing on neutral territory, the Rams are ahead, 4-2. WKU's last win against the program was on Nov. 11, 1990. The two programs have not played since Sept. 15, 1995.
SCOUTING
- Panthers (2-4 overall)
- High Point sat atop the Big South Preseason Coaches' Poll for the ninth-straight season after securing the conference tournament championship in 2024. The Panthers automatically qualified for the NCAA Tournament but lost to Oregon, 3-0, in the first round.
- Gia Padilla and Élodie Lalonde currently lead the Panthers' offense with 59 kills each. Lalonde edges out Padilla just slightly in offensive efficiency, posting a 3.11 kills per set rate to Padilla's 2.57. Padilla also leads at the service line with six service aces.
- At the tape, Maya Bukovcan leads the Panthers' air defense with 34 blocks through 25 sets played. She also leads the team in solo blocks with four and is averaging 1.36 blocks per set.
- Khea Willock leads the back row with 76 digs and an average of 3.04 digs per set.
- High Point finished the 2024 season ranked 63 in RPI.
- Buccaneers (2-4 overall)
- ETSU was picked to finish third in the Southern Conference after finishing with a 19-11 record in 2024.
- Makayla Bays leads the Bucs' offense with 68 kills through 19 sets played. With a minimum of 10 kills, Gianna Blair leads the way with a .315 clip having 23 kills.
- Whitley Rammel leads the defense with 19 total blocks for a block rate of 1.00 blocks per set. Three different Bucs have solo blocks.
- Anchoring the back row is Melanie Morris with 53 digs and a .923 reception percentage. Morris also leads at the service line with seven total service aces.
- ETSU finished the 2024 season ranked 130 in RPI.
- Rams (1-3 overall)
- VCU was picked to finish second in the A10 just behind Dayton after finishing the 2024 season with an 18-9 record.
- Julia Rienks leads the Rams with 55 kills through four matches played. She's averaging 3.67 kills per set and possesses a .217 hitting percentage.
- Lara Del Core is VCU's best server at the moment, racking up six service aces in 15 sets.
- Letizia Galli leads the defense at the net with 14 total blocks. Of those 14 blocks, five are solo efforts, which also leads the Rams in solo blocks.
- Cansin Sendir is holding down the back row with 44 digs and a rate of 2.93 digs per set. She's also responsible for five blocks, one of which is a solo block.
- VCU finished the 2024 season ranked 89 in RPI.
