Hilltoppers finish sweep of Kennesaw
Published 7:04 pm Saturday, October 24, 2026
Western Kentucky players celebrate a point against Kennesaw State during the Hilltoppers’ 3-1 win Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena.
(STEVE ROBERTS/WKU Athletics)
Western Kentucky’s volleyball team defeated Kennesaw State in four sets for the second straight day Saturday afternoon at E.A. Diddle Arena.
After dropping the first set, the Hilltoppers regrouped to claim the next three for their 11th consecutive victory and a 10-0 record in CUSA play. The third set shifted the momentum as the Hilltoppers won it 25-9. WKU (16-6 overall, 10-0 Conference USA) managed 6-0 runs on three occasions in the frame while holding the Owls to a -.067 attack mark in the 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-9, 25-18) victory.
Knox again led all scorers with 19 kills on 25 attacks for a .680 hitting percentage. Blocking was the storyline in the stat sheet with WKU totaling 11 blocks, led by Faith Young who tallied a career best eight. Kate Rush also logged a career best, adding five in the win.
“The utmost respect for Kennesaw State,” WKU coach Travis Hudson said in a news release. “I can’t say enough about the job that Keith Schunzel does, they came out and punched us in the first set and were a much better version of themselves than last night. That’s a difficult thing to do, getting beat in set one on your home court but we played awfully well from that point forward.”
Knox picked up where she left off Friday, finding the back corner for a kill to even the score at one-all in the first sete. Kendall Meller, in the lineup for the first time in league play, combined with Young for a block and the second Hilltopper point of the day. Eliza McKnight fired down the second kill to pull within one, down 8-7. The Owls were first to 10, still leading by one. Three in a row gave WKU a 12-10 edge, aided by a trio of kills from McKnight, Young and Knox. The Owls used a 4-0 run to grab a lead, one they held at the media timeout, leading 15-13.
Young slammed one down for her second kill to pull back within one. Rush tapped one past the KSU net for her first kill and a 17-16 lead. An errant attack extended the lead to two, forcing an Owl timeout. KSU (9-13, 3-7 CUSA) tied things up at 19 with a block on the right side. Down two after a timeout, Knox connected on one and Tayler Baron followed with an ace to even the score. Two straight for KSU forced the final Hilltopper timeout. The Owls claimed the first frame by a 25-22 score.
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The Owls grabbed the first point in the second set before Rush connected with Izzy Van De Wiele for her first kill. The Hilltoppers played from behind for the next few points before Young’s kill combined with a bad Owl attack evened the score at seven apiece. Down 9-8, Alivia Skidmore’s kill sparked four straight in favor of the Tops, to take a 12-9 lead and force the Owls into their first timeout of the frame. The Owls ended the run but a kill from Knox, an ace for Skidmore, and a bad attack gave the Tops their largest lead at 15-10.
Knox’s 10th kill extended the margin to six, leading 17-11. Up two, Young and Meller stuffed a block to push the edge back to three. This would spark a 5-1 scoring run, capped by the first ace for Young, forcing a KSU timeout, up 23-17. Skidmore was fed for the cross court kill on the left side for set point. On the second one, a bad serve gave the Tops a 25-19 set win.
Meller fired off a kill down the right side for the first point of the third frame. The Hilltoppers claimed the next five for a 6-0 lead. Knox had a pair of kills and Cali Foster sent over an ace in the stretch. A service error made it 7-2. Another 6-0 WKU run ensued, highlighted by three blocks and a kill from Young for a 13-2 margin and the first KSU timeout. Kennedy Cherry pushed the WKU lead to a dozen with an ace as the ball skipped over the net.
The fourth WKU block of the frame and another ace from Cherry ballooned the lead to 14, at 17-3. The second kill for Rush followed by a block on the left side capped the third 6-0 run for the Tops in the third set, leading 19-3. Young’s eighth kill pushed WKU past the 20-point mark, still leading by 16. Knox tapped one past the front line for set point, leading 24-8. On the second try, Knox fired off her 16th kill for a dominant 25-9 third set victory.
The first two points of the fourth set went to the Owls before Rush went to the service line and orchestrated a 5-0 run in which the setter logged a pair of aces and assisted in two kills and stuffed a block. The Owls pulled within one of the Tops before a pair of errors pushed the lead back to three at 8-5. The third KSU attack error of the frame pushed WKU into double digits, holding a four-point edge. Skidmore hammered down her 10th kill for a five-point lead at the media timeout.
Out of the stoppage, Knox and Van De Wiele combined for the 10th Hilltopper block of the match for a 16-10 score. Another bad attack pushed the lead to seven at 18-11. Young and Meller combined on a block for the fourth time for a 20-13 Hilltopper advantage. A 4-0 run for KSU forced the first Hilltopper timeout, now leading by four. The ninth kill for Young pushed the margin to five. A pair of Owl errors gave WKU match point and Skidmore closed the deal with her 11th kill for a 25-18 win.
The Hilltoppers move to 7-0 all-time against Kennesaw State, claiming 21 sets while surrendering just two.
Knox continued to headline the offensive attack, finishing with 19 kills on 25 attacks for a match best .680 hitting percentage. The sophomore added nine digs, two blocks, and two assists. For Knox, her .680 hitting clip marks a season best. The right-side hitter has 10+ kills in four consecutive matches.
Skidmore was the second Hilltopper to manage double-figure kills, adding 11 alongside two digs, an assist and an ace.
Young had a career day at the net, totaling eight blocks, a new career best. The native of Harrison, Ohio added nine kills, three digs and an ace.
Rush again compiled a balanced stat line with 40 assists, five blocks, four digs, three kills, and two aces. For Rush, her five blocks are a new career best. The setter has tallied 40+ assists in nine matches this season.
Meller earned the starting nod on Saturday, helping the net defense in a big way, stuffing four blocks, marking a season best.
Baron anchored the floor defense Saturday, notching 15 digs alongside two assists and an ace. Foster added six along with an ace.
Three Hilltoppers in Knox (.680), Eliza McKnight (.667) and Skidmore (.524) hit above a .500 clip in the match. WKU hit .400 or better in three sets, finishing with a .424 match hitting percentage. That mark is the best for WKU in CUSA play and the fourth time hitting .400+. The six team errors match a season low and the fewest WKU has committed in league play. The season hitting percentage now stands at .297.
The Hilltopper front line stuffed a total of 11 blocks, highlighted by five in the third set. Saturday marks the second-straight instance of logging 10+, and the fourth time the feat has been achieved this season. In the third set, WKU held Kennesaw State to just nine points, marking the first time they’ve allowed 10 or fewer in a set since Sept. 27, 2024 at Jax State where they allowed nine.
The Hilltoppers travel to Miami for a pair of matches against FIU starting Oct. 30. First serve from Ocean Bank Convocation Center is set for 5 p.m. CT and will be streaming on ESPN+.
