HUNTSVILLE, Texas – WKU Volleyball (21-6; 15-0 CUSA) defeated Sam Houston (17-11; 8-7 CUSA) in four sets Thursday night in Johnson Coliseum.
The win marks the 21st of the season for the Hilltoppers and their 16th consecutive in the column. After a slow start, WKU dominated at the net and from the service line, finishing with 16 total blocks and nine service aces, limiting the Bearkats to a mere .039 hitting clip. Izzy Van De Wiele led defensive efforts, stuffing 11 blocks, marking a new career high. Kaira Knox led WKU with 16 kills, marking her third consecutive match leading the team in the category.
HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU 3, Sam Houston 1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-11, 25-10)
SET ONE - Sam Houston 25, WKU 23
Knox came in on the right pin to log the first kill and point of the match. The Bearkats developed a three-point edge, first to 10. Knox and Van De Wiele teamed up for the first block of the night to pull within a pair. Faith Young sent one back to pull within one and a Bearkat attack error evened the score at 13. Alivia Skidmore connected on the left side for the sixth Hilltopper kill of the frame. Van De Wiele gave the Tops their first lead with the second solo block of the set, leading 16-15. WKU fell behind 21-19, taking their first timeout. Out of the break, the Tops grabbed four of the next five for a 23-22 edge, forcing the first Bearkat timeout. Kendall Meller and Van De Wiele combined for a block and Kate Rush managed her first kill in the stretch. The next three went Sam Houston's way, taking set one 25-23. The Tops outhit the Bearkats in the frame but logged nine kills compared to 16 for Sam Houston.
SET TWO - WKU 25, Sam Houston 20
Skidmore's third kill opened up set two and Knox followed with her fourth for a two-point edge. Eliza McKnight came in with a kill and pushed the edge back to a pair at 4-2. Young found a gap in the back line for a three-point edge. Leading by a narrow 8-7 score, Skidmore's fourth kill sparked six straight, highlighted by a pair of Van De Wiele blocks, doubling up the Bearkats at 14-7. Sam Houston rallied three in a row before a 4-0 run gave the Tops their largest lead of eight at 18-10. Skidmore secured the first Hilltopper ace during the stretch. The second successful WKU challenge pushed the Tops past 20, holding a five-point lead. Back-to-back Bearkat points forced the first WKU timeout, up 20-17. Young's fifth kill followed by the ninth Hilltopper block pulled WKU within three-points of taking the set. The Tops took three of the next five to claim the second set, 25-20. All three points went by way of the kill with Skidmore, McKnight, and Van De Wiele each tallying one.
SET THREE - WKU 25, Sam Houston 11
WKU jumped out to a 4-2 lead in set three. Young fired one into the Bearkat back row for a 5-4 edge. Skidmore found room in the corner to push the Tops into double figures and force the first Bearkat timeout, holding a 10-7 advantage. Van De Wiele's seventh block of the night pushed the lead to five. Three more went WKU's way for a commanding 16-8 edge. The Bearkats would snap the run but a 7-0 Hilltopper run ensued. Van De Wiele stuffed her ninth block in the run and Cali Foster tallied her first ace of the night for a 23-9 edge. Knox would hammer her fifth kill of the frame for the first chance at set-point. Sonja Laaksonen put the finishing touches on a 25-11 third set win with her second kill. The Hilltoppers hit .481 in the third set, connecting on 13 kills while holding the Bearkats to just four.
SET FOUR - WKU 25, Sam Houston 10
Van De Wiele and Skidmore walled up on the right side, marking Van De Wiele's 10th block and Skidmore's third, for a 3-0 lead. The 10th stuff for Van De Wiele matched her career best. Two more went the Hilltoppers' way for a five-point edge. After a Sam Houston timeout, Foster logged her second ace, marking a new career best for a 7-1 score. Back-to-back aces off the hand of Tayler Baron pushed the lead to nine points. Knox and Young sent one back on the right side for a 12-2 margin, pushing the team block total to 15. Knox became the fifth Hilltopper to find success at the service line for an 11-point lead at the media timeout. Out of the break, Camila Adams fired off an ace and Young tallied consecutive kills for a 19-4 lead, forcing the final Bearkat timeout. Sam Houston would move into double digits off an ace but Skidmore tallied her 12th kill and Knox and Van De Wiele teamed up for the 16th team block to slam the door shut for a 25-10 win.
NOTABLES
- With the win, WKU improves to 21-6 and 15-0 in CUSA play, winners of their last 16 matches.
- The Hilltoppers move to 7-1 all-time against the Bearkats, including a 3-0 mark in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
- WKU operated on a .345 attack clip, finishing with 48 kills and just nine errors. The Tops hit .611 in the final set, connecting on 12 of 18 attempts.
- The Bearkats were held to a .039 hitting clip in the match. WKU forced Sam Houston into a -.156 mark in the third and a -.143 clip in the fourth, allowing just eight kills compared to 15 errors in the two sets.
- The .039 mark is the lowest all-season for Sam Houston and their lowest since their .019 mark on Sept. 26, 2025 against UTEP.
- The Hilltopper net defense sent back 16 blocks, marking the second most all season. WKU has stuffed 10+ in eight matches, including six in league play.
- Izzy Van De Wiele had a career night at net, stuffing 11 blocks, beating out her previous best of 10. The senior added four kills and three assists.
- Van De Wiele's 11 blocks are the most by a Hilltopper since Lauren Matthews sent back 13 on Nov. 10, 2022 against Rice.
- Kaira Knox paced the offense, totaling 16 kills on 29 attacks for a .517 operating clip to go along with five blocks, five digs, and an ace.
- Alivia Skidmore stuffed the stat sheet, totaling a dozen kills, three blocks, one ace, one assist, and one dig. The native of Florence, Ky. has totaled 10+ kills in three consecutive matches.
- Faith Young added 10 kills, five blocks, one ace, and one dig. Young has managed double-figure kills in 16 matches in 2026 and has sent back five-plus blocks on eight occasions.
- Assisting efforts were charged by Kate Rush who dished out 40 along with four digs, one block, and a kill. Rush has tallied 40+ assists in 11 matches this season. The sophomore has also surpassed 1,000 assists in the 2026 campaign with her performance.
- Tayler Baron led WKU from the service line with three aces along with a team best 18 digs.
- Kennedy Cherry set a new career best in the back row, notching 13 digs, beating her previous record of 12 set on Oct. 17, 2025 against Sam Houston.
QUOTABLE
"Izzy, I've seen her have a lot of dominant matches as a blocker, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like that out of her. She just completely took them out of what they were doing in that third set. They even spun their lineup to get different matchups in the fourth. It's rare a kid dominates an entire match from a blocking standpoint, but Izzy Van De Wiele did that tonight." – Head Coach Travis Hudson on the presence of Izzy Van De Wiele
NEXT UP
WKU closes out the regular-season at Sam Houston on Friday, Nov. 13. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be streaming on ESPN+.
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 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.
