BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Hilltoppers look to finish off the regular season strong at Sam Houston starting Thursday, Nov. 12. First serve from Bernard Johnson Coliseum is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be streaming on ESPN+
MATCH INFO
- WKU at Sam Houston | Thursday, Nov. 12 | 6 PM CT
- Watch | Live Stats | Listen
- WKU at Sam Houston | Friday, Nov. 13 | 1 PM CT
- Watch | Live Stats | Listen
- Notes: WKU
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU holds a 20-6 record and a 14-0 mark in Conference USA Play.
- The Hilltoppers enter the final weekend of the regular-season on a 15-match winning streak, sweeping Liberty in straight-matches last weekend.
- With their win Saturday, WKU claimed the outright Conference USA Regular-Season Championship, marking their eighth consecutive and the 12th in WKU's 13-year tenure in the league.
- WKU's win Saturday vs. Liberty marked the 20th of the season. The Hilltoppers have won 20+ matches in 27 consecutive seasons, dating back to 1999.
- That streak is the longest active streak in all of NCAA DI.
- Monday, sophomore setter Kate Rush and junior libero Tayler Baron earned CUSA weekly honors. Rush was named CUSA Setter of the Week for the sixth time and Baron earned the Defensive Player of the Week nod for the second time.
- The Hilltopper offense has totaled 1,224 kills, 1,128 assists, and 196 service aces while operating at a .294 hitting clip. Kaira Knox leads the team with 303 kills for an average of 3.22/set.
- Defensively, the Hilltoppers have notched 1,206 digs and 212 total blocks. Baron is the team leader in digs with 395 (4.20/set). Young leads the way at the net with 80 total blocks this season, 12 of which are solo. On Friday against Liberty, the junior matched her career best, sending back eight blocks in the 3-0 win.
- Young continues to lead the league in hitting with a .426 mark.
- The middle hitter's .414 mark stands at No. 16 in NCAA DI this season.
- Rush remains the league leader in total aces, now at the No. 14 mark in all of NCAA DI with 50 to her name.
- WKU found its way into the top-20 in this week's NCAA RPI rankings, slotted at No. 18.
- The Hilltoppers received votes in the Taraflex AVCA DI Rankings on Monday, garnering 33 total votes.
SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
- Sam Houston enters the weekend sitting at 17-10 overall and 8-6 in CUSA play, splitting a pair of road matches at Middle Tennessee this past week.
- The Flame offense has totaled 1,310 kills on a .210 hitting clip with 1,219 assists and 146 aces. Paige Overcash is pacing the offense, averaging 3.25 kills/set. Chloe Monson leads the way with 361 kills, averaging 3.54/set.
- The service line is managed by Bella Wood who has 34 total aces, averaging 0.34/set.
- Defensively, they've managed 1,527 digs and 235 total blocks. Shaelin White has anchored the back-line with 453 digs (4.44/set). Rachelle Reed has stuffed 120 blocks, averaging 1.18/set. Chelsea Butler has also totaled over 100 blocks so far this season.
- The Bearkats are having their best season since joining Conference USA back in 2023, matching their win total in league play from the 2024 season.
SERIES HISTORY
- Friday will be the eighth all-time meeting between WKU and Sam Houston, dating back to the 1986 season.
- WKU leads the series 6-1, winners of each of the past six meetings.
- All but one matchup has gone in straight-sets. Last season, WKU outlasted the Bearkats in a 3-2 decision in Bowling Green.
- The two have met in the regular season every year since the Bearkats joined the league prior to the 2023 season. This will mark their second trip to Huntsville.
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 and single-session tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.
FOLLOW THE HILLTOPPERS
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.
