WKU closes out the regular season on a 17-match winning streak, claiming an undefeated CUSA record for the eighth time since joining the league in 2014. The Hilltoppers held Sam Houston to a .012 operating clip, the lowest for the Bearkats in over two years.
HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU 3, Sam Houston 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-8)
SET ONE - WKU 25, Sam Houston 18
The Bearkats sent the opening serve out, and Kate Rush followed with an ace. Kaira Knox logged the first WKU kill for the fifth point and a one-point edge. Eliza McKnight slammed one through the Bearkat defense for a 10-9 lead. Rush added to the lead with the first ace of the frame. Kendall Meller and Faith Young combined for a block and Young added a kill for a 15-11 score at the media break. The Hilltoppers added three more, taking a seven-point lead, forcing a Bearkat timeout. Knox fired off the second WKU ace, pushing the total past 20, holding an eight-point lead. A 4-0 Sam Houston run cut the lead in half, forcing a WKU timeout. Meller dumped down a one-timer to snap the drought. Strong floor defense led to a reset and Izzy Van De Wiele stuffed a solo block for the first set-point. The senior hammered down her second kill for a 25-18 set win.
SET TWO - WKU 25, Sam Houston 16
The first three points were picked up by WKU, capped by the second ace for Rush. After Sam Houston jumped on the board, a Van De Wiele kill and solo block highlighted a 4-0 run for the first Sam Houston timeout, up 7-1. Consecutive aces for Knox pushed the Tops into double-figures, holding a six-point margin. Skidmore painted the back corner to push the WKU lead to 15-10. Up four, Young hammered down straight kills for a 21-15 score. A no-look tap from Rush pulled WKU within two points from taking the set. Young wrapped up the second frame with the fourth Hilltopper ace of the set for a 25-16 win. The Hilltoppers held the Bearkats to a .000 attack percentage, forcing eight errors and stuffing two blocks.
SET THREE - WKU 25, Sam Houston 8
Rush connected with Knox to open action. The fourth ace for the sophomore right-side hitter gave the Tops a 5-4 lead. Van De Wiele found some room for her sixth kill and a 10-7 score, forcing the Bearkats into their first timeout. Four Bearkat errors and the sixth block for Van De Wiele sent the two into the break with the Tops on an 8-0 run. The eighth ace for WKU and the third for Rush resulted in a 16-7 score. A block, and another ace from Rush allowed an 11-point lead to develop. Aubrey Sears fired her first kill for a 22-7 lead. Van De Wiele and Sonja Laaksonen secured the final two WKU points of the match for a 25-8 third-set win. The Hilltoppers closed out the match on a 17-1 scoring run.
NOTABLES
- With the win, WKU finishes the regular season 22-6 and 16-0 in CUSA play.
- With that, the Tops ended the regular-season on a 17-match winning streak.
- The Hilltoppers move to 8-1 all-time against the Bearkats, including a 4-0 mark in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
- WKU has gone undefeated in league play in seven of the last eight seasons.
- The Hilltoppers have finished with an unblemished conference record eight times since joining CUSA in 2014.
- The Hilltoppers held the Bearkats to a season-low .012 hitting clip, with 23 errors on 84 attempts.
- This marks the lowest for Sam Houston since Liberty limited them to a .012 mark on Nov. 2, 2024.
- Faith Young and Izzy Van De Wiele paced the WKU offense, each totaling eight kills apiece. Young added three digs, two blocks, and an ace.
- Van De Wiele operated at a .889 clip, connecting on eight kills off nine attempts and no errors. The senior also managed five blocks and a dig.
- For Van De Wiele, her .889 mark is a season and career best.
- Kate Rush dished out 31 assists, along with four aces, three kills, and one dig.
- Kaira Knox totaled seven kills and four aces, matching Rush for a team high. Knox has totaled four-plus aces in four matches.
QUOTABLE
"Unbelievably pleased with today's performance. I thought we played really well. It kind of hit me walking off the court that it's over (the regular season), and that we finished the regular season and finished undefeated (in league play). I feel like we're playing our best volleyball at the end. Great performance to finish off a really good regular season and now it's on to conference tournament time." – Head Coach Travis Hudson on the sweep over Sam Houston.
NEXT UP
WKU will host the 2026 Conference USA Tournament starting Friday, Nov. 20. The Hilltoppers have earned the No. 1 seed and will await their opponent for a noon CT first serve on Nov. 20.
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.
