MATCH INFO
- WKU at Jacksonville State | Friday, Oct. 9 | 6 PM CT
- Watch | Live Stats | Listen
- WKU at Jacksonville State | Saturday, Oct. 10 | 1 PM CT
- Watch | Live Stats | Listen
- Notes: WKU
ABOUT THE TOPS
- The Hilltoppers enter the weekend with a 10-6 mark, including a 4-0 record in CUSA play after two three-set wins over Missouri State this past weekend.
- Friday night marked the 816th win in head coach Travis Hudson's career, surpassing Joel Murrie (Baseball, 815) as the all-time single-sport wins leader in WKU history.
- Faith Young paced the Hilltopper offense in the two sweeps. Young tallied 10 kills on Friday and added 14 Saturday. Defensively, Young stuffed five blocks on Friday, one shy of a career best.
- Eliza McKnight compiled her fifth clean sheet of the season on Saturday, logging nine kills on 14 attacks with no errors and a .643 hitting percentage. The freshman added eight kills on Friday on a .538 mark.
- For the second consecutive week, McKnight was tabbed as the CUSA Freshman of the Week. McKnight is the second Hilltopper to earn more than one weekly honor this season. (Kate Rush, Setter of the Week, 3x).
- WKU currently has 787 kills, 715 assists, and 116 service aces with a .286 hitting percentage. Kaira Knox has tallied a team best 189 kills for an average of 3.15/set.
- Defensively, the Hilltoppers have totaled 731 digs and 110 total blocks. Tayler Baron is the team leader in digs with 258 (4.30/set). Young leads the blocking effort with 39 total blocks. McKnight has totaled 34 blocks on the season.
- The Hilltoppers are currently boasting the best hitting percentage in the league. The .286 mark is also No. 13 in all of NCAA DI.
- Faith Young continues to lead the league in hitting, operating at a .429 clip, which is now No. 11 in the nation. McKnight is second in the league and No. 17 in the nation with a .417 mark.
- Kate Rush leads CUSA in both total assists (617) and assists/set (10.28). Her total assists mark currently sits at No. 13 in NCAA DI.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
- Jacksonville State holds a 3-13 mark and a 0-4 record in league play, after dropping two matches to Liberty this past weekend.
- The Bears have logged 631 kills on 1,766 total attempts and post a .185 hitting percentage. The team has totaled 597 assists and 64 service aces.
- On the defensive side of the net, the team has notched 662 digs and stuffed a total of 95 blocks.
- Claire Evans leads the team with 139 kills for an average of 2.62/set; Sofia Varela has a team best 17 aces and has 306 assists (5.28/set).
SERIES HISTORY
- Friday will be the eighth meeting between the Hilltoppers and Gamecocks.
- WKU has won all seven meetings, winning each in a 3-0 decision.
- This weekend will mark WKU's second ever trip to Jacksonville State. The Hilltoppers last played there 9/27-28/24.
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 will go on sale starting October 15.
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.
