WKU Volleyball hosted the WKU Invitational over the weekend, winning two of its three games.
The Lady Toppers swept Wright State and Loyola Chicago on Friday to start the weekend before losing to Drake on Saturday.
Wright State
A quick start and multiple attack errors from Wright State gave the Hilltoppers an early 8-3 lead.
Wright State struggled to close the gap for the remainder of the set. The Hilltoppers carried their five-point lead to the end, taking the set 25-20.
Much like the first set, WKU took an 8-3 lead to open the second set. Wright State came charging back after multiple service aces from graduate Taylor Bransfield, cutting the Hilltopper lead to 10-9. Sophomore Alivia Skidmore responded with three straight kills, putting the Hilltoppers up 15-11.
The Hilltoppers came out of the media timeout with an eight-point lead. Despite a late surge from the Raiders, WKU closed out the set 25-18. A late surge from the Raiders was not enough as WKU took set two 25-18.
WKU took complete control early in the third set with a 10-4 lead. WKU kept a steady lead with kills from Skidmore and freshman Kaira Knox leading the way. The Hilltoppers took the set and ultimately the match 25-13.
Loyola Chicago
Despite a back-and-forth start to the set, the Hilltoppers went on a short 3-0 run to take a 9-7 lead. The two teams continued trading points until back-to-back aces from sophomore Sam Falk gave the Ramblers a 15-14 lead.
A balanced Rambler attack and strong Hilltopper defense prevented either team from gaining the advantage. WKU eventually pulled out in front, taking set one 25-23, spearheaded by six kills from Knox.
Set two was just as back-and-forth. The Hilltoppers went on a 5-0 run to break an 8-8 tie with senior Abby Shaefer behind the service line. The Ramblers looked to climb back into the set, but the swings from the Hilltoppers were too much as a kill from sophomore Faith Young put the set away 25-18.
A slow start for both teams in the third set ended with the Hilltoppers taking a 12-7 lead. A late 5-0 run led by sophomore Taylor Baron helped the Hilltoppers take the final set of the day 25-14. The Hilltoppers ended Friday with two consecutive sweeps.
Drake
The Lady Toppers took a strong lead early against Drake. The Lady Toppers took the set 25-11 following a 4-0 scoring run and a block by Kaila Knox and Gabby Weihe.
Drake opened the second set strong with a service ace by graduate Kacia Brown. The Bulldogs took advantage of the Lady Toppers’ several attack errors on a 0-4 scoring drought.
After a heated back-and-forth set, a service ace from senior Macy Daufeldt gave the set to the Bulldogs 24-26.
Drake opened the third set with a service ace from senior Addison Beagle, only to be answered by a kill from Skidmore. The Bulldogs took advantage of errors from the Lady Toppers to give them an early four-point lead.
A service ace by Young put the Lady Toppers ahead of Drake 15-14 to cap off a six-point Hilltopper comeback. The Lady Toppers dominated the court for the remainder of the set, winning 25-18.
The Bulldogs took an early lead in the fourth set, highlighted by key blocks and kills.
Several WKU play errors allowed Drake to keep the lead, including a service ace from Drake freshman Katie Quick. Despite a strong push from the Lady Toppers, Drake closed out the set 21-25.
The Bulldogs closed out the game, winning a back-and-forth fifth set 10-15, preventing WKU from going undefeated on the weekend.
WKU Volleyball returns to the court on Sept. 5 in Milwaukee for the Marquette Tournament.
