Hilltoppers Fall to No. 6 Cardinals in Three Sets

Monday, September 22

Louisville, Ky.

5:30 p.m. CT

Western Kentucky University

9-4,0-0CUSA

Louisville

8-2,0-0ACC

Western Ky.

Louisville

Photo by: Caty Llamas, WKU Athletics

9/22/2025 8:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The final non-conference match of the 2025 season took place in Louisville, Ky., on Monday as WKU Volleyball took on the No. 6 Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center.

Sophomore middle hitter Faith Young led the way offensively with nine kills on the night, while freshman outside hitter Sonja Laaksonen played in her biggest match yet, and came away with three blocks including one solo effort for the Tops (9-4 overall).

LOUISVILLE: 3-0
HOW IT HAPPENED

SET 1: 25-15
WKU totaled seven kills in set one with three different Hilltoppers tying with two. Sophomore libero Tayler Baron started her 16-dig night with six in the first frame. Junior outside hitter Kendall Meller posted the best hitting percentage of the set at .667.

SET 2: 25-17
The Hilltoppers began to see improvement on the stat sheet, going from -.029 in the first to .054 in the second. Young began to find her offensive footing at the middle hitter position with three kills. WKU outblocked the Cardinals in the second set, 5-4, thanks to three solo blocks from junior middle hitter Gabby Weihe, senior setter Callie Bauer, and Laaksonen. Meller, Weihe, and Young also recorded a block assist each.

SET 3: 25-20
The best offensive performance for the Tops came in the third set, posting a match-high .190 hitting clip. In addition, WKU collected 15 kills to Louisville's 13. Young and Laaksonen both contributed four kills each, while Weihe was just behind them with three. On the back row, Baron and Bauer both collected six digs apiece.

NOTABLES

Tayler Baron matched her season-high in digs with 16.
Sonja Laaksonen led at the net with three blocks.
WKU's 113 attacks are fifth most on the season.
The Hilltoppers' 49 digs are third most on the season.

UP NEXT
WKU opens Conference USA play at home this Friday, Sept. 26, against Jax State. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at E.A. Diddle Arena.