LAS CRUCES, N.M. – WKU Volleyball (7-6, 1-0 CUSA) defeated New Mexico State (7-7, 0-1 CUSA) in four sets on Friday night at the Pan American Center.
Kaira Knox headlined the WKU attack on Friday that saw 62 total kills and a .353 team hitting percentage. Knox logged 18 kills on 31 attacks for a .452 hitting mark. Three more Hilltoppers in Alivia Skidmore (15), Eliza McKnight (12), and Faith Young (10) tallied double figures in the category. The 62 team kills in the match are a season best and the second time WKU has finished with 60-plus in 2026.
HOW IT HAPPENED
WKU 3, NMSU 1
SET ONE - WKU 25, NMSU 22
Skidmore logged consecutive kills to open up action Friday night. Knox and McKnight each added two kills for a 6-3 Hilltopper lead. The Aggies pulled within one before Young became the third for WKU to tally a kill. The Hilltoppers were first to 10 via an Aggie service error, ahead by four. Kate Rush found McKnight for her third kill and a 12-9 lead. Sonja Laaksonen and McKnight stuffed the first WKU block to ignite a 3-0 run for the largest advantage of the night at five. Laaksonen's first successful attack pushed the WKU lead to 16-11. McKnight finished off a long rally with a kill to push WKU over 20 and force an Aggie timeout, up by five. Consecutive NM State attack errors gave WKU a 23-18 edge. Rush fed Knox to push WKU to set point but a 3-0 Aggie run forced a Hilltopper timeout, up 24-22. Knox closed out the set with her fifth kill for a 25-22 win. 20 of the Hilltoppers' total points came by way of the kill in the first frame.
SET TWO - NMSU 25, WKU 19
Set two began much like the first with Skidmore firing off a kill. The Aggies grabbed their first lead of the night at 3-2 before an errant serve evened things up. Young's fifth kill, assisted by Rush, tied the score up at five. McKnight's second assist ended up in the hands of Skidmore for a kill to cut the deficit to one at 8-7. NM State was first to double digits, holding a two point edge. An Aggie ace followed, forcing a WKU timeout. The eighth Knox kill propelled WKU into double figures, still trailing by three. NM State led 15-11 at the media timeout. WKU pulled within two but the Aggies pushed the margin back to four at 17-13. The NM State lead extended to five, leading 20-15, resulting in the second Hilltopper timeout. Kill eight for McKnight cut the margin to four, down 22-18. The Aggies claimed the second set, 25-19.
SET THREE - WKU 25, NMSU 21
Even at two all, Knox sparked a 3-0 WKU run for a 5-2 advantage in the frame. Young found a gap in the Aggie defense for a 7-5 advantage. Knox fired off her 10th kill, pushing the lead to four and forcing NM State into a timeout. A 3-0 run out of the break for the Aggies cut the WKU lead to one before Young's eighth kill cushioned the lead to a pair. The Hilltoppers were first to 10, credited by a Skidmore kill. Skidmore logged another kill to spark a 4-0 WKU run, highlighted by a pair of aces off the hand of Rush. The Hilltoppers held the four point edge, up 15-11 at the media timeout. A Laaksonen block followed by consecutive kills allowed the WKU lead to balloon to seven, at 18-11. The Hilltoppers were first to 20 via a Young kill. The second kill by Rush pushed the advantage to 21-16. An Aggie serving error extended the lead to five at 22-17. Two straight points from NM State forced a WKU timeout. Skidmore fired off a kill out of the stop in the action. Rush found Knox to close out the third for a 25-21 win.
SET FOUR - WKU 25, NMSU 23
Skidmore pushed her kill total to a dozen to open up set four. Straight kills from Knox opened up a 3-2 Hilltopper lead. Down 5-4, a serving error followed up by a Young kill gave WKU the lead back. Knox ignited a 3-0 Hilltopper run for a 9-7 edge, forcing an Aggie timeout. A bad set pushed WKU into double figures, maintaining a three-point margin. A 4-1 NM State run evened the score at 11 apiece. The 12th kill for McKnight stopped a 3-0 Aggie run to tie things up at 12. The Hilltoppers were first to 15 in the frame, holding a one point lead. The 16th kill for Knox on her 28th attempt extended the lead to a pair. Knox added another for an 18-15 WKU lead. The Hilltopper attack pushed over 20 as Young connected with Knox, leading by three. Rush and Young combined for a block, adding to the WKU lead. Up 23-19, back-to-back points for the Aggies forced a Hilltopper timeout. A serving error gave WKU match point. Straight kills for NM State cut the lead down to one, resulting in the second WKU timeout. Rush found Skidmore to close out the fourth set, 25-23.
NOTABLES
- As a team, the Hilltoppers combined for 62 total kills for a .353 hitting clip. The 62 kills are the most in a match since they fired off 77 against FIU on Nov. 23, 2025.
- For the first time in 2026, WKU had four players finish with double-digit kills, marking the first since they did so since a five set win against FIU in the 2025 CUSA Championship match.
- WKU has now hit .350 or better in two consecutive matches.
- Kaira Knox led the offensive effort on Friday, connecting on 18 kills for a .452 hitting mark. The sophomore added eight digs, one block, and one assist.
- Alivia Skidmore finished with 15 kills in the win along with five digs.
- Eliza McKnight managed a clean sheet from the attack line, finishing with 12 kills on 20 attacks and no errors on a .600 hitting clip.
- Faith Young was the fourth Hilltopper to tally 10 or more kills with an even 10 in addition to a pair of blocks and assists.
- The assisting effort was charged by Kate Rush who finished two shy of a career high with 47. The setter stuffed the stat sheet with five digs, four kills, two aces, and a block.
- Tayler Baron and Cali Foster combined for 31 of WKU's 59 total digs. Baron tallied 21 while Foster notched 10.
- For Baron it marks her fourth match this season finishing with 20 or more digs.
- The defensive front line was managed by Sonja Laaksonen who stuffed three blocks. Laaksonen added four kills and three digs. Two of her three blocks were tallied as solo blocks.
- WKU moves to 11-6 all-time against the Aggies including a 5-0 mark against New Mexico State in CUSA regular season play.
QUOTABLE
On the win, head coach Travis Hudson said That was a good, hard fought win. We continue to be very up and down with our play, but hung in there and found a way to get the job done.
NEXT UP
WKU will wrap up the two match road trip at New Mexico State on Saturday, Sept. 26. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be streaming on ESPN+.
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.
