WKU volleyball will head to Jacksonville, Alabama this weekend to play two games against the 7-6 Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28.
“It’s time to start this conference journey all over again,” Head Coach Travis Hudson said. “We’re excited to get started in conference and reset, start 0-0, and see what the journey looks like.”
The Hilltoppers are led by senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox, with 171 kills on the season. Right side hitter Kenadee Coyle has also had a strong season, with 103 of her own. WKU has a balanced attack, as five players have ten or more service aces, led by sophomore middle hitter Gabby Weihe at 18.
Sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele has added to the strong defense in a big way, with 69.0 blocks, and senior libero Abby Schaefer leads the team with 138 digs.
WKU leads the series 3-0, with all three wins coming last season as the Hilltoppers swept the Gamecocks.
The Hilltoppers also hope to continue their dominance over the C-USA, as they haven’t lost a match in conference since 2022.
WKU went 7-6 through their non-conference schedule. Of the six losses, three came against current top 25 teams in Kentucky, Tennesse and Dayton. The others were against Big Ten schools Michigan State and Illinois as well as a 3-2 loss against previously ranked Marquette.
With the six losses headed into conference play, Hudson said C-USA competition “thinks this is their year that they’re going to come and get us.”
“We lost six matches, and it was to four ranked opponents and two Big Ten teams,” he said. “I’m good with who we are.”
Jacksonville State is led by junior outside hitter Kayla Williams, with 185 kills on the season, along with 21 service aces. The Hilltoppers will need to be wary of senior setter Ellie Garrett, who has racked up 467 assists, anchoring the offensive core.
The Hilltoppers will look to extend their win streak to five, as they won three straight last weekend in the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic.
