WKU beats Troy, clinches SBC regular season title

Elliott Pratt

No. 19 WKU earned its second straight regular season Sun Belt Conference title after sweeping Troy Friday night in Alabama.

The Lady Toppers have now extended their win streak to 19 matches and are still tied with Morehead State for the longest streak in the nation.

Paige Wessel led WKU on the night with 11 kills while Ashley Potts scooped 15 digs. Freshman Noelle Langenkamp earned a team-high attack percentage of .545 with seven kills.

Two late kills from Wessel and block from Haley Bodway and Heather Boyan helped seal a 25-18 first set win.

WKU posted 18 kills in a tight second set with the Trojans, squeaking out a 2-0 halftime lead.

Troy wasn’t ready to let WKU walk out with another Sun Belt sweep heading into the third set, but the Lady Toppers once again proved why they are ranked as the 19th best team in the United States.

A service ace from senior Sarah Rogers helped the Lady Toppers regain an early lead 8-5. Troy would later orchestrate a 9-3 run to take a 16-14 lead in the middle of the third set.

As Troy sought to hand WKU its second set loss in as many weeks, the Lady Toppers scored the game’s final points from a Troy miscue to win 25-22 and earn their 20th sweep of the year.

WKU will play its final road match of the regular season in Mobile, Ala., Sunday when it takes on South Alabama at noon.