The Hilltoppers were led by Kaira Knox who finished with 15 kills, 16 digs, two aces, and two blocks. The three points that clinched the win for WKU were all by way of a Knox kill. Alivia Skidmore and Faith Young also managed impactful performances on the offensive side of the net, each finishing with 10 kills apiece. The Tops held Kennesaw State to a .114 hitting percentage, including a .000 mark in the first set.
HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU 3, KENNESAW STATE 1 (25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 25-21)
SET ONE - WKU 25, KSU 21
Knox snuck one in front of the Owl front-line for the first Hilltopper point of the day. Young tapped one over for her first kill and a 2-2 score. Young added a block, the first of the day for WKU, for a 4-3 advantage. The Owls scratched double-digits first, holding a two-point lead over the Tops. Young hammered one down for her second kill to pull within one. Three straight forced WKU into a timeout, now trailing by four at 13-9. Kate Rush set up Young, who found a break in the defense, pushing WKU into double-digits. Rush won a battle at the net and a bad attack evened the score at 15, forcing the first KSU timeout. Straight aces for Tayler Baron allowed the Hilltoppers to grab a 19-17 lead. Another Owl error extended the lead to three. KSU responded with three of their own before Sonja Laaksonen became the fifth Hilltopper to chart a kill, leading 22-21. Consecutive attack errors put a bow on the first with WKU taking it 25-21. Strong defense forced the Owls into a .000 hitting clip in the frame, with 12 errors.
SET TWO - WKU 25, KSU 17
A bad serve gave WKU the first point of the set. Knox added to the lead on her second kill. The 14th Owl attack error pushed WKU to five points in the frame, leading by two. Rush dumped one down past the KSU net, still leading by two at 7-5. The seventh total service error of the set gave the Hilltoppers a 10-8 advantage. The Owls answered for a 10-10 score. The fourth kill for Knox sparked a 3-0 run, highlighted by a pair of aces off the hand of Knox for a 14-11 lead. Young's attack collapsed the defenders in for a kill and the 15th Hilltopper point, up by two at the media timeout. Young hammered one through the Owl defense, firing up the crowd, and adding to the WKU lead out of the timeout. A Skidmore kill and Kennedy Cherry's ace ballooned the margin to five, forcing a KSU timeout. Out of the stoppage, Young stuffed a block and Rush tallied her third kill for a 20-13 edge. The fifth kill for Skidmore pushed the lead back to seven. WKU took three of the final four points of the set, all by way of an Owl attack error, for a 25-17 win.
SET THREE - KSU 25, WKU 23
The first two of the frame went by way of the Hilltoppers, highlighted by an ace from Cali Foster. Baron logged the second ace of the set for a 4-1 lead. Kendall Meller fired off her second kill, maintaining the three-point margin, up 6-3. A 3-1 Owl run shrunk the margin to one with WKU holding a 7-6 lead. The seventh Hilltopper to log a kill was Izzy Van De Wiele, who pushed the edge to a pair. Knox followed with one of her own for a 10-7 score. A 6-1 run put the Owls ahead 13-11. Rush and Young's kills kept the Tops within one but KSU led by a pair at the media timeout. The first Hilltopper timeout came following a 3-0 run out of the break, down 18-13. Back-to-back blocks capped by Skidmore's eighth kill forced an Owl timeout, now down two at 19-17. KSU broke 20 first but a thunderous kill from Knox and a solo block brought WKU within one. Meller hammered her fourth kill through the KSU back-line to even the score at 22-all. The Owls closed out the frame on a 3-1 run for a 25-23 set win.
SET FOUR - WKU 25, KSU 21
Rush logged her fifth kill for the first point of the fourth. A pair of blocks by the likes of Skidmore/Van De Wiele and Knox/Young allowed a 4-2 Hilltopper lead to develop. A KSU attack error allowed WKU to double up the Owls, leading 6-3. KSU evened the score via a 3-0 flurry. The Hilltoppers then used a 6-1 run to create some separation for a 12-7 advantage, forcing the first KSU timeout of the frame. Young managed a pair of kills and an ace during the stretch. The Owls tied the score at 14 all following four in a row. Knox became the second Hilltopper in double figures with her 10th kill for a 15-14 lead. A back-and-forth battle ensued before Skidmore fired her 10th kill for a 20-19 lead. Back-to-back Owl attack errors created a three-point margin, forcing a KSU timeout, leading 22-19. Knox added two more for match point and slammed the door shut on the Owls with her 15th kill for a 25-21 win.
NOTABLES
- With the win, WKU improves to 15-6 and 9-0 in CUSA play, winners of their last 10.
- Kaira Knox led the offensive and defensive effort with 15 kills, 16 digs, two aces, and two blocks.
- For Knox, Friday marks the fourth time in 2026 the sophomore has finished with 15+ kills in a match.
- Her 16 digs are a career best, surpassing her previous, 15, set against Kennesaw State on Nov. 22, 2025.
- At the net, Faith Young took charge, finishing with five blocks along with 10 kills and an ace. Young's five blocks are one shy of both a season and career best.
- Alivia Skidmore was the third Hilltopper to manage double-digit kills, finishing with 10 along with a block.
- Kate Rush led assisting efforts, finishing with 39 alongside 11 digs, seven kills, and four blocks.
- The four blocks and 11 digs both match a career best for the native of Georgetown, Ky.
- Rush's seven kills on 11 attacks with no errors resulted in a season best .636 hitting mark.
- Tayler Baron led at the service line with three total aces and defensively logged 12 digs.
- Kendall Mellar matched her season high in kills with five. Four of the five were logged in the third set.
- Cali Foster charted her second ace as a Hilltopper and finished one shy of a season high in digs with nine.
- The Hilltoppers finished with an even 50 kills on Friday. WKU has managed 50 or more in 10 of their 21 matches this season.
QUOTABLE
"Not my favorite performance today. We set a tone early on where we weren't very assignment sound in doing the things we needed to do and it snowballed from there. All of a sudden, you give a team that maybe didn't come in with a ton of belief a whole lot of belief. They (Kennesaw State) are a great program, great coaching staff and they certainly have my respect, and you see why. We were very fortunate to get a win." – Head Coach Travis Hudson on WKU's four-set win.
NEXT UP
The Hilltoppers wrap up the four-match home stretch on Saturday, Oct. 24 for Community Day. First serve from E.A. Diddle Arena is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be streaming on ESPN+.
HOPE FOR HARLIE
Harlie Bryant was diagnosed with a brain tumor behind her eyes in the spring of 2011. Since then, Harlie has had CT scans, MRIs, surgeries, chemotherapy and more. With everything going on in her life, though, Harlie has kept a positive spirit. Harlie's positive spirit is now being spread throughout the WKU Volleyball program after the Hilltoppers and Harlie were joined by the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FOJ), a charitable, non-profit organization that strives to enhance and strengthen the support system built around children with pediatric brain tumors. Through the program, adopted children become part of the team and build unique friendships. Children also gain an incredible group of caring role models to look up to when they need the extra support.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE SILENT AUCTION
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. All-session passes 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.
