BOWLING GREEN, KY – WKU Volleyball held their own against New Mexico State on Saturday, taking the first two sets and going down by as many as 10 in the third but mounted a 16-5 scoring run to earn the comeback win.
With the win, the Hilltoppers improve to 21-6 overall and 14-0 in CUSA play. The Aggies fall to 14-12 overall and 8-6 in conference play. Freshman middle hitter Faith Young, senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox, and freshman pin hitter Alivia Skidmore cleaned up
with 10 kills each while senior rightside hitter Kenadee Coyle led in blocks with three.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 25-23
Skidmore had no problems setting the pace for the Hilltoppers in Saturday’s opening set with a staggering .500 [7-1-12] clip. Cox was not far behind her with four kills of her own and a .375 [4-1-8] hitting percentage. At the service line, WKU beat the Aggies
in service aces with two, with Cox and senior outside hitter Katie Howard logging the two. Van De Wiele continued her defensive leadership with two blocks at the net.
Set 2: 25-23
With hitting percentages almost equal in set two with WKU at .250 [10-3-28] and NMSU at .258 [14-6-31], the Hilltoppers came away with the set win thanks to two more kills from Skidmore and Cox and two solo blocks from Coyle. The Hilltoppers also tacked on
three more service aces from Howard, Young, and redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer.
Set 3: 26-24
With the score at 20-10 in the Aggies’ favor, the Hilltoppers went on a tear in the back half of set three to close out the match with a 16-5 scoring run. Young led the way with five kills while Van De Wiele and Cox backed her up with four of their own. Junior
libero Abby Schaefer continued her control of the back row with four digs while Skidmore, Cox, and Bauer added three service aces.
NOTABLES
- WKU beat out the Aggies in kills, 43-42
- Three different Hilltoppers finished with 10 kills: Kaylee Cox, Alivia Skidmore, and Faith Young
- Abby Schaefer finished with double-digit figs for the 14th time this season
NEXT UP
WKU will travel for the final time in the regular season as they head out to Huntsville, Tex. next weekend to take on Sam Houston State. First serve is set for Friday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. Both ESPN+ and Live Stats will be available.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)