The Hilltoppers brought offensive firepower on Saturday, logging 49 kills for a .442 hitting percentage. WKU was led by Eliza McKnight and Faith Young, who each finished with 12 kills. McKnight managed a .647 hitting clip in the match and added two blocks and an assist. Young complimented her 12 kills with two digs, an ace, an assist, and a block. The Hilltoppers logged eight service aces, marking a season high, compared to SEMO's three.
HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU 3, SEMO 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-20)
SET ONE - WKU 25, SEMO 20
The Redhawks recorded the first two points on Saturday afternoon. The first Hilltopper point of the day came on a service error. Kate Rush fed Faith Young who logged the first kill for WKU. Down three, Rush found Eliza McKnight for her first kill, sparking a 3-0 run. After a back-and-forth battle, WKU was first to 10, leading 10-9. Young managed her third kill for an 11-10 lead. Nine of WKU's 11 points at that point were via kill. After SEMO evened things at 14, Kaira Knox fired off two straight aces to extend the lead to two. Alivia Skidmore fired one through the defense to jumpstart a 3-0 Hilltopper run, forcing the Redhawks into a timeout with their largest lead of the day at four. Out of the break, the Tops rolled off three more to take a commanding 22-15 lead. Young's sixth kill slammed the door shut on the Redhawks in set one. The Hilltoppers hit at a .405 clip in the first frame of action.
SET TWO - WKU 25, SEMO 20
SEMO jumped out to an early 5-3 lead in the second. WKU responded with a 4-0 run to take the lead at 7-5, capped by Rush's third kill. The Hilltoppers took a 10-8 lead off SEMO's third serving error. Cali Foster found Sonja Laaksonen for her second kill and an 11-8 advantage. The fifth ace of the day for WKU came off the hand of Young to extend the lead to four at 14-10. The Hilltoppers logged three of the next four for a 17-11 lead over the Redhawks. Back-to-back kills from Skidmore and Young pushed WKU to 20 points, up by seven. Knox fired off WKU's 31st kill of the afternoon, set point at 24-19. McKnight capped off a dominant offensive set for the Hilltoppers with her sixth kill. The Hilltoppers hit .609 in the frame with 14 kills and no attack errors.
SET THREE - WKU 25, SEMO 20
Young bumped her kill total into double figures for the first point of the third. Skidmore found a wide-open gap in the front corner to dump one down to even the score at four all. SEMO jumped out to a 9-8 advantage, but Rush found some room for her fifth kill. The Redhawks rallied for three straight to take a 12-9 lead. Laaksonen pushed the Tops into double figures with the team's 41st kill of the match. Down 14-11, WKU rallied for four straight, highlighted by an ace from Camila Adams to take a 16-14 lead in the frame. After SEMO stopped the run, WKU tallied three in a row to jump ahead 19-15. The Redhawks cut into the Hilltopper lead, forcing WKU into a timeout, leading 20-18. Laaksonen logged her fifth kill to extend the advantage back out to three. Knox and McKnight stuffed a block to force match point, up 24-20. McKnight's 12th kill of the day slammed the door shut for a three-set sweep over SEMO.
NOTABLES
- Eliza McKnight headlined action for WKU on Saturday. The freshman tallied 12 kills, two blocks, and an assist while managing a match best .647 hitting clip.
- McKnight's .647 hitting percentage marks the best for a freshman since Kaira Knox logged a .737 mark against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 31, 2025.
- Faith Young also logged a dozen kills in the win. Young added two digs, an ace, an assist, and a block.
- Alivia Skidmore finished with eight kills, two digs, an ace, and a block. The junior finished with a .615 hitting percentage, committing no errors on 13 total attacks.
- Kate Rush continued to impress on Saturday. The setter logged 40 assists, eight digs, and five kills.
- The 40 assists for Rush mark a career best, topping her previous record of 31 set against Dayton on Sept. 5, 2025.
- Tayler Baron finished with a team high 17 digs, along with a pair of service aces.
- Knox managed a .545 hitting clip on Saturday with seven kills, a team best three aces, four digs, and a pair of blocks.
- Knox's three aces mark a career best for the native of Nolensville, Tenn.
- Three Hilltoppers tallied 20+ kills over the weekend in Knox, Young, and Skidmore. Knox finished with 26, Young with 23, and Skidmore added 21.
- WKU finished with eight service aces on Saturday, while holding SEMO to three.
- The eight aces in the match mark the most since the team totaled nine in a 3-0 win over UTEP on Oct. 25, 2025.
On the win to close out the weekend, head coach Travis Hudson said "Good to bounce back with a win today. Great offensive performance by our team. We still have strides to make on the defensive side, but we certainly have the team to do it. Looking forward to a week of practice!"
NEXT UP
WKU will continue the road swing on Thursday, Sept. 3 against Ball State in the Wright State Invitational. First serve from the Nutter Center is set for 5 p.m. CT.
SEASON 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 X @WKUVolleyball and head coach Travis Hudson at @TravisHudsonWKU. The team is also on Instagram and Facebook.
