MATCH INFO
- WKU vs Middle Tennessee | Friday, Oct. 16 | 11 AM CT
- FREE Admission | Watch | Live Stats | Listen
- WKU vs Middle Tennessee | Saturday, Oct. 10 | 1 PM CT
- Tickets | Watch | Live Stats | Listen
- Notes: WKU
AT THE MATCH
- A big weekend for Hilltopper Volleyball, Friday is Education Day, and Saturday is Alumni Day along with the Grow the Game Showcase.
- Admission to Friday's match is FREE, and fans are encouraged to park in Parking Structure 2.
- Saturday, all Hilltopper Volleyball Alumni are welcome back to Diddle Arena for a day of festivities and a special recognition between the second and third sets.
- Fans are encouraged to stick around after the match on Saturday for an exhibition match between two perennial men's volleyball programs in Ohio State and Ball State.
- Drew Hudson, the son of head coach Travis Hudson, is the starting libero for the Buckeyes.
- Admission to the men's exhibition is free with a purchase of a ticket to the WKU match.
- Fans are encouraged to wear red for both matches. Saturday's match is officially a Red Out.
- Trading Cards: Friday (Eliza McKnight), Saturday (Alivia Skidmore).
- The full promotional schedule can be viewed HERE.
- Tickets to Saturday's match can be purchased HERE.
ABOUT THE TOPS
- The Hilltoppers currently post a 12-6 record, including a 6-6 mark in CUSA play.
- WKU comes into the weekend following a pair of 3-0 wins at Jacksonville State last week.
- On Friday night in WKU's third consecutive sweep, they held the Gamecocks to 23 kills, the lowest of any team WKU has faced this season.
- Blocking was the story line on Saturday. Izzy Van De Wiele posted eight blocks, the most by any Hilltopper this season, and Kaira Knox totaled six, marking a new career high.
- The Hilltoppers held the Gamecocks to a mere 0.075 hitting percentage on Saturday.
- For the fourth time this season, Kate Rush was named CUSA Setter of the Week. Rush dished out 61 assists, posted 10 kills, four aces, eight digs, a block, and an average of 10.17 assists/set against the Gamecocks.
- WKU currently has 867 kills, 789 assists, and 135 service aces with a .291 hitting percentage. Knox has tallied a team best 204 kills for an average of 3.09/set.
- Defensively, the Hilltoppers have totaled 809 digs and 126 total blocks. Tayler Baron is the team leader in digs with 281 (4.26/set). At the net, four Hilltoppers in Knox, Eliza McKnight, Rush, and Faith Young have stuffed 30-plus.
- The Hilltoppers rank in the top 10 in the nation in a pair of categories. WKU's .291 hitting clip and the average of 2.05 aces/set both sit at No. 10 in all of NCAA DI.
- Young is still the league leader in hitting, operating at a .422 clip, which stands at No. 14 in the nation. McKnight is second in the league and No. 17 in the nation with a .413 mark.
- Among freshmen, McKnight is leading the nation in hitting.
- Kate Rush leads CUSA in both total assists (678) and assists/set (10.27). Her total assists mark currently sits at No. 19 in NCAA DI.
SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS
- Middle Tennessee enters the weekend at 14-4 and 5-1 in league play, second in the standings behind WKU.
- The Blue Raiders have logged 956 kills on 2,405 total attempts and post a .249 hitting percentage. The team has totaled 887 assists and 142 service aces.
- On the defensive side of the net, the team has notched 1,011 digs and stuffed a total of 168 blocks.
- Two Blue Raiders earned CUSA Weekly Awards on Monday. Michaela Dlouhá was named defensive player of the week, and Sophia Henry was tabbed as the offensive player of the week.
SERIES HISTORY
- Friday will be the 80th ever meeting between the Hilltoppers and Blue Raiders.
- WKU leads the all-time series with a 63-16 record, winners of the last 28.
- The Hilltoppers are 31-6 all-time against the Blue Raiders in Diddle Arena.
- 28 of the 79 previous meetings have taken place in the month of October.
2026 CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2026 CUSA Volleyball Tournament is coming to Bowling Green, Ky. Action from E.A. Diddle Arena runs Friday-Sunday, Nov. 20-22. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.
FOLLOW THE TOPS
For complete information on WKU Volleyball, follow the team on X @WKUVolleyball and head coach Travis Hudson @TravisHudsonWKU. The team is also on Instagram and Facebook.
