WKU Hilltoppers volleyball wrap up historic season with first appearance in NCAA Sweet 16
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BVM) — In a year of historic firsts for the Western Kentucky University women鈥檚 volleyball team, it was the Hilltoppers鈥� first loss of the season that ended the journey. Making the program鈥檚 first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, the Hilltoppers were pitted against No. 2-seeded University of Kentucky. Although the team would lose in straight sets 3-0, the final performance of the year shouldn鈥檛 dampen the accomplishments the team made over its stellar season.
Finishing the year with a 23-1 overall record, the Hilltoppers set a new program record for winning percentage at .958 or 96% when rounded up. In 23 match victories, 18 were sweeps by WKU and the team also held two wins over ranked opponents during the season. The Hilltoppers also made it further than any Non-Power 5 team did in the tournament following BYU鈥檚 loss earlier in the weekend.
The team鈥檚 best match of the year also came just before its final one with the Hilltoppers鈥� 3-2 win over No. 17 Washington State University in the tournament鈥檚 second round on April 15. The match was a back-and-forth affair with the Hilltoppers jumping out to an early 2-0 lead before the Cougars came roaring back two win the next two sets, setting up WKU鈥檚 lone five-set match of the season.
In the final frame, the Hilltoppers had to withstand six lead changes prior to a 10-10 tie. The Hilltoppers would not only break the tie with the next point, but would rattle off the last five points of the set to win the set and the match 15-10. It was an exciting high point for both WKU and the collegiate volleyball world as it marked the only Tournament match to that point to not be a sweep.
Though Kentucky would claim the Sweet 16 matchup in straight sets 25-20, 25-16 and 25-10, the Hilltopppers proved that they were a team to be feared throughout the tournament. While the season may not have ended the way the team had hoped, members can still look back fondly on the historical impact they left on the program and the university.
