WKU has won 12 CUSA Regular-Season Championships since joining the league back in 2014, winners of each of the past eight. With the win, WKU will own the No. 1 seed in this year's CUSA Tournament, which will be hosted by WKU, Nov. 20-22.
The win marked the 15th straight for the Hilltoppers and the third sweep in a row. Like Friday, Kaira Knox and Alivia Skidmore both charged the offense, finishing with 11 kills apiece. Kendall Meller added a season high nine kills and Izzy Van De Wiele stuffed a team best seven blocks. WKU limited Liberty to a .111 hitting percentage, the second lowest for the Flames all season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU 3, Liberty 0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-16)
SET ONE - WKU 25, Liberty 22
Skidmore's kill along the back-line got things going Saturday, followed up by a pair of Flame errors for a three-point edge. The first kill for Faith Young and the fourth Flame attack error allowed a four-point, 7-3 lead to develop. A 5-0 run resulted in the first Liberty lead of the day. Kate Rush notched an ace that flipped over the net for an 11-10 lead. Down two, straight kills for Meller and a bad attack put the Tops up 15-14. Two more, capped by Meller's first block forced a Liberty timeout, leading 17-14 on a 5-0 run. Holding onto the three point cushion, Skidmore riffled one into the corner to push the Tops past 20. Three of the next four went Liberty's way, forcing a WKU timeout, within one at 22-21. The Flames again pulled within one, but the last two went the Hilltoppers' way capped by Meller's fourth kill, taking the frame, 25-22.
SET TWO - WKU 25, Liberty 15
Even at two, three successful attacks for Knox and back-to-back blocks forced the Flames into a timeout, up 7-2. Van De Wiele aided in both blocks. A Flame block stopped the streak but the Tops picked right back up with a trio of kills, capped by the fourth for Young, as Liberty took their second break, leading 11-3. The fourth Hilltopper block of the set, this time by Skidmore put WKU up nine at 17-8. The Flames sent one into the net for the 20th Hilltopper point, doubling Liberty's score. Young floated one past the defense, giving WKU its first set point, maintaining the 10-point margin. The third Flame service error of the frame gave WKU a 25-15 win to take a commanding two-set lead.
SET THREE - WKU 25, Liberty 16
A pair of Van De Wiele blocks gave the Tops a three-point lead. Knox and Skidmore fired off kills on opposite sides for a 5-0 edge, forcing the first Liberty timeout. Van De Wiele's third block of the set pushed the lead to seven. The seventh block for the senior gave WKU a nine-point lead. The Hilltoppers continued to pile it on as Knox and Young charted the fifth block for a 10-point lead. One more point resulted in the second Liberty timeout. Tayler Baron's first ace and the eighth kill for Meller pushed the margin to a dozen at the media break. The Tops added to their lead at 17-4, thanks to Meller's ninth kill. The Flames pulled within nine before Skidmore's 11th successful attack gave WKU a 20-10 edge. Liberty pulled within eight and on the second chance at match point, Rush found Knox who connected for her 11th kill to claim the set, 25-16.
NOTABLES
- With the win, WKU improves to 20-6 and 14-0 in CUSA play, winners of their last 15.
- The win clinches WKU's 12th CUSA Regular-Season Championship and their eighth consecutive.
- The Hilltoppers have won at least a share of the CUSA Regular-Season crown every year since joining the league in 2014 with the exception of 2018.
- WKU has now won 23 regular-season conference championships since claiming their first in the 1991 season. 22 of the 23 have come under head coach Travis Hudson.
- The Hilltoppers claim the No. 1 seed in this month's CUSA Tournament, hosted at WKU Nov. 20-22 in E.A. Diddle Arena.
- Saturday's win is the 20th of the season for WKU, marking the 27th consecutive season of achieving 20+ wins, dating back to the 2000 season.
- WKU's 27-straight seasons of 20+ wins remains the longest active streak in all of NCAA DI Volleyball.
- Kaira Knox and Alivia Skidmore logged 22 of WKU's 45 kills, each finishing with 11. Knox added six digs, three blocks, and two assists while Skidmore tallied four digs and three blocks.
- Kendall Meller totaled a season best nine kills as the third leading scorer for the Tops. The senior added three digs and three blocks.
- Izzy Van De Wiele guided defensive efforts, stuffing seven blocks. The senior also notched three digs, two kills, and two assists.
- Kate Rush dished out 33 assists, marking her 21st match of the season logging 30+. The sophomore added five kills, four digs, and an ace while operating at a match-best .500 hitting clip.
- Tayler Baron led WKU at the service line and in the back-court, totaling two aces and 12 digs. Eight Hilltoppers logged three-plus digs on Saturday.
- The Hilltoppers limited the Flames to a .111 attack percentage, the second lowest Liberty has managed all season. WKU has held their opponent under .200 in 10-of-14 matches in CUSA play.
QUOTABLES
"Really proud of our team this weekend. You hope to be playing your best volleyball at the end of the year and I think this weekend qualifies. We played really well in back-to-back matches. We hit over .300 two days in a row and held them below .200 two days in a row and that's the second best offensive team in the conference. When we defend at that level, good things are going to happen. " – Head Coach Travis Hudson on WKU's sweep over Liberty on Saturday.
"It means everything. It just shows the discipline of this group. It hasn't been easy, we haven't played clean every night but this shows that we are fighting for it every single night. Our first weekend at New Mexico State, we could have given up a game but we didn't. Down these stretches we've proven to ourselves what we can be, and everyone in this group has bought into that same idea." – Senior Kendall Meller on WKU claiming the outright CUSA Regular Season Championship.
NEXT UP
WKU closes out the regular season at Sam Houston, starting Thursday, Nov. 12. First serve from Huntsville, Texas is set for 6 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.
