After a dominant first two frames, the Hilltoppers held off Liberty in the third for their second consecutive sweep, winning the penultimate set, 28-26, fending off two set points. The offense was led by the duo of Kaira Knox and Alivia Skidmore who each managed 10 kills. The defensive effort was guided by Faith Young who sent back eight blocks at the net.
HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU 3, Liberty 0 (25-14, 25-18, 28-26)
SET ONE - WKU 25, Liberty 14
Senior Izzy Van De Wiele sent the Liberty defense into chaos for the first kill and point of the night. Rush followed that up with the first ace of the match. The Tops jumped out to a 6-2 lead, capped by a combined stuff from Knox and Young. She then followed to slam down her second kill for a five-point lead forcing the Flames into their first timeout. Kate Rush and Eliza McKnight notched the fourth WKU block of the frame for a 13-6 lead. Straight kills from Van De Wiele gave the Tops a nine point edge at the media break. After Liberty pulled within six, Knox recorded the second Hilltopper ace of the night to push the margin back to nine at 20-11, forcing the final Liberty timeout. Kennedy Cherry's ace allowed WKU to grab its largest lead of 12 at 23-11. McKnight and Rush joined up for their second combined block to put a wrap on the first set, taking it 25-14. The Hilltoppers operated at a .533 clip with 17 kills and one error.
SET TWO - WKU 25, Liberty 18
A Liberty kill opened up the second before three in a row went WKU's way. The Tops were first to five and Tayler Baron's ace doubled up the Flames for a 6-3 edge. Young and Kendall Meller sent a Liberty attack back on the left side and Young dumped one down to force the first Flame timeout, up 11-5. The seventh WKU block of the night pushed the margin to seven. Liberty pulled within three before Young's fifth followed by her sixth block, assisted by Rush, gave WKU a six-point lead at the media timeout. The WKU block total surpassed 10 out of the break. A long volley resulted in the sixth kill for Knox, forcing the second Liberty timeout, facing a nine point deficit. Young became the fourth Hilltopper to land an ace, doubling up the Flames at 20-10. Seven of the next 10 went Liberty's way for a 23-17 score. On the second set point chance, Meller hammered down her fifth kill, for a 25-18 win. WKU forced Liberty into seven errors while allowing nine kills during the set.
SET THREE - WKU 28, Liberty 26
Rush's second ace opened up scoring in the frame. Knox elevated over the Flame front line for her eighth kill. Two more went WKU's way before the Frames logged a point. Knox won a battle at the net for a 7-3 score. Meller became the third Hilltopper with six-plus kills to maintain the four-point lead. Now up five, the Flames pulled within a pair of WKU at 11-9. Up one, Young found some space in the back corner and floated one past the defense for her fifth kill. The Tops were first to 15, holding a three-point edge. Liberty used a 3-0 run to even the score as WKU took its first timeout of the night, level at 17. Three more went the way of Liberty, resulting in the second timeout, WKU now trailing 20-17. Meller and Young stuffed the 12th team block to pull within one and force the second Liberty timeout. The two went back-and-forth before WKU grabbed its first match-point and Liberty answered with one of their own at 25-24. After Liberty's second chance at forcing a fourth-set, WKU closed out the match on a 3-0 run, capped by the eighth block for Young and the third for Meller, for a 28-26 win.
NOTABLES
- With the win, WKU improves to 19-6 and 13-0 in CUSA play, winners of their last 14.
- WKU is now 10-3 at home. The Hilltoppers have won 10+ matches at home in each of the last 25 seasons.
- The offense was guided by the duo of Alivia Skidmore and Kaira Knox. The two tallied 10 kills apiece. Knox added seven digs, three blocks, and an ace. Skidmore totaled three digs and three blocks.
- Faith Young anchored the net defense, stuffing eight blocks alongside seven kills, one ace, and one assist.
- Young's eight blocks match both a season and career best. Young has sent back five-plus blocks in seven matches this season.
- Izzy Van De Wiele managed six kills on 10 attacks for a match best .600 hitting clip, committing no errors. The senior added one block, one dig, and one assist.
- Kate Rush dished out 34 assists along with six digs, four kills, and four blocks.
- Kendall Meller continued to contribute to the offensive effort, adding seven kills, three blocks, and one dig.
- The Hilltopper floor defense garnered 48 digs, led by Tayler Baron who tallied 17. Kennedy Cherry logged nine and Cali Foster managed four.
- The Hilltoppers only surrendered three points at the service line, marking the fewest all season.
- WKU's 14 blocks mark the second most all season and the fourth time in five matches they've stuffed 10+.
QUOTABLE
"Tough match, Liberty came on really strong in that third set. We were fortunate to get out of here in three (sets). We know how talented they are and we played probably as well and clean as we've played in a long time in those first two sets and just had to tough our way to the end of the road. Glad to get this one in three." – Head Coach Travis Hudson on WKU's 3-0 win over Liberty Friday night.
NEXT UP
WKU hosts Liberty for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 7. 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. 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.
