MATCH INFO
- Friday, August 14 | 1 p.m. CT | Knights Hall, Louisville, Ky.
- No Live Stats/Official Scoring Available
ABOUT THE TOPS
- The Hilltoppers return 10 from the 2025 CUSA Championship squad that finished 27-6 (15-1 CUSA), including CUSA Defensive Player of the Year Izzy Van De Wiele and Freshman of the Year Kaira Knox.
- Five of the 10 returners in 2026 were named All-CUSA. Knox, Alivia Skidmore, Van De Wiele, and Faith Young received first team honors and Tayler Baron was named second team.
- The four additions to the roster include sophomore transfer from Houston, Aubrey Sears. Sears, a native of Russellville, Ky. played high school volleyball at nearby Logan County.
- Three freshmen come to The Hill for 2026 in Izzie Delacher, Cali Foster, and Eliza McKnight.
- Alivia Skidmore was the Hilltopper leader in kills in 2025, tallying 370 in 108 sets of work. Faith Young also surpassed 300 kills in 2025, totaling 301 in 33 matches played.
- As a team, WKU logged 1,575 kills and a .313 attack percentage, while holding opponents to a .184 hitting clip.
- Defensively, WKU managed 1,516 digs throughout the 2025 campaign.
- The Hilltoppers' matchup with Bellarmine is the first of two exhibitions prior to the season officially getting underway. WKU will host IU Indy on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. CT. Admission to the exhibition is FREE.
- WKU will host the annual Red/White Scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 12 p.m. Fans can stick around after for Volleyball 101 with Travis Hudson and a Youth Clinic at 1 p.m. More information on the FREE event can be found here.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
- Bellarmine enters the 2026 preseason following a 2025 campaign that saw an 11-17 overall record and a 5-11 mark in ASUN play.
- The Knights offensive leader, Natalie Bland, returns for her senior season after posting 333 kills in 106 sets played for an average of 3.14 kills/set in 2025.
- As a team in 2025, Bellarmine averaged 11.9 kills/set and posted a .170 attack percentage.
- Defensively, the Knights garnered a total of 1,454 digs throughout their 2025 season.
2026 Tickets: Season tickets and single game tickets for the 2026 Hilltopper Volleyball Season can be purchased HERE.
Follow The Tops: For complete information on WKU Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUVolleyballand head coach Travis Hudson at @TravisHudsonWKU. The team is also on Instagram and Facebook.
