Three different Hilltoppers (6-2 overall) finished with double-digit kills, while senior setter Callie Bauer recorded the first double-double of the season (35a, 10d). WKU also posted the second-highest single-match hitting percentage of the weekend, finishing Saturday with a .337 clip.
Set 1: 25-20
After a 5-0 run by the Rams early in the first set, WKU answered with a 12-2 run of their own, highlighted by four kills from middle hitter Faith Young and two service aces from freshman right side hitter Kaira Knox. Finishing their run with the score at 16-11, the Tops prevented the Rams from getting any closer than four points. Young paced the Hilltoppers' offense with five kills on a .667 clip, while sophomore pin hitter Alivia Skidmore and Knox matched each other's efforts with four kills each. At the service line, WKU finished the frame with three total service aces.
Set 2: 26-24
The two teams traded blows in the second set, tying the match 14 different times and exchanging the lead nine times. With the score tied at 10-10, Skidmore helped shift the momentum in WKU's favor as the sophomore recorded a solo block and a kill in back-to-back points. The Hilltoppers hit .312 to VCU's .114, with Knox leading with five kills and a .500 hitting percentage. WKU erupted at the net, going from one total team block in the first to four in the second. Skidmore bested VCU's offense and secured two solo blocks and a block assist. Knox also anchored the back row with five digs.
Set 3: 25-15
WKU scored the first point of the set and never looked back, leading the entire set and building a lead of as many as 10 points. The Hilltoppers exploded at the net, hitting a match-high .531 (20-3-32). Junior middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele came alive in the third set, leading the offense with six kills, while Young went a perfect 4-for-4 in kills. WKU's defense limited the Rams to only nine kills in the final set, with the back row totaling seven digs. In addition, both Bauer and Young contributed at the service line with one service ace each.
NOTABLES
- Set three's .531 hitting percentage is the highest single-set hitting percentage of the weekend.
- Callie Bauer recorded the Hilltoppers' first double-double of the season with 35 assists and 10 digs.
- Six service aces are the most so far this season. The last time WKU registered six service aces was on Nov. 23, 2024, in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament against Kennesaw State.
- Twenty kills are also the most by WKU in a single set through the first eight matches of the season.
- WKU earned the first win against VCU in the 21st century. The Tops move to 5-9 against the Rams. The last win was on Nov. 16, 1990, in a 3-1 win in Richmond, Va.
UP NEXT
WKU returns home to host first-time opponent Vanderbilt on Tuesday, Sept. 16. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT.
