Tops set for huge test against Louisville
Published 12:13 pm Monday, September 14, 2026
Western Kentucky players celebrate a point during Friday’s 3-2 win against James Madison at E.A. Diddle Arena.
(STEVE ROBERTS/WKU Athletics)
A season of difficult non-conference tests hits its apex when the WKU volleyball team hosts No. 5 Louisville on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at E.A. Diddle Arena.
It’s the start of a final three non-conference week matches that includes Oklahoma visiting on Thursday and East Tennessee State coming to Diddle Arena on Saturday.
WKU coach Travis Hudson said Louisville, 9-1 overall and winners of eight straight, is playing like a national title contender.
“Louisville hasn’t just been beating people, they have been bludgeoning them if you look at scores,” Hudson said. “It’s a special opportunity to have them in here. It’s a huge challenge for our team. That have played so clean this year and at such a high level.”
WKU comes in 5-4 after a 2-1 weekend that featured wins over Pepperdine and James Madison before a four-set loss to Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. Hudson said it was a good weekend overall, despite Saturday’s setback.
“I know the last match last weekend was disappointing, but to get two out of three last weekend is a pretty significant weekend in terms of keeping our head above water and building our RPI,” Hudson said. “If we had played those matches this weekend in a different order, I think we feel unbelievable right now. It’s just the sour taste in our mouth because the last one is the one we didn’t finish it.”
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The weekend saw the first action of the season from senior middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele, still recovering from an ankle injury. Van De Wiele saw limited action against Pepperdine and James Madison. Hudson said they will see how she responds from this week physically to determine her playing time going forward.
The Hilltoppers will only have one day of practice to prepare for Louisville, which Hudson praised for their willingness to come to Diddle Arena as part of a home-and-home series that began last year.
“I hope it says teams like Louisville can come in here and realize that it is a meaningful game,” Hudson said. “It’s not going to do anything but help them RPI-wise because we’ve been so good in the RPI standings year in and year out. I’d like to think it is a really good game for them as well. Certainly an easy one (travel wise) coming down. We did this home and away with them. Last year we were able to make that game in The Yum Center in Louisville and what a great atmosphere. It’s a series I would love to be able to continue, but to do that we have to do our part which is be nationally relevant, successful and all the things we’ve been able to do.”
The success of Louisville and Kentucky, as well WKU’s consistent appearances in the NCAA Tournament, is just a small reason why the state has been one of the big powers when it comes to college volleyball.
“We’ve either been in the top 25 or received votes now for over a decade straight here at Western Kentucky,” Hudson said. “Louisville and Kentucky have both been fighting for national championships. To have three programs within the state of Kentucky that have been pretty relevant on a national level for the last decade is a pretty remarkable thing. Not to mention Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State and these other programs that have really competed and done well.”
Hudson said he hopes his team will get a lot out of Wednesday’s match, no matter how it plays out, that will help his team going forward into conference play and beyond.
“We understand what a challenge it will be, but – Louisville is the biggest example – I told you guys this schedule is not one we are going to win every night,” Hudson said. “We just need to put ourselves against some of the best and challenge ourselves every day and figure out who we are. We are doing that. We are managing it to this point, but this will clearly be the biggest challenge on our schedule.
“… It is going to take a monumental effort to be in sets. Louisville’s talent level is higher than Western Kentucky’s talent level, but that gap is not insurmountable. The way Louisville is playing the game compared to Western Kentucky is the biggest gap right now.”
About Micheal Compton
I am a sports reporter and movie critic for the Bowling Green Daily News.
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