RUSTON – No. 23 Western Kentucky took down the Bulldogs in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
Western Kentucky (22-4, 12-0) came out with a hot start and finished the first set hitting .452. LA Tech (6-18, 1-11) found themselves down 7-2 early in the contest and used their first timeout of the match to try to slow down the Hilltoppers. WKU would come out of the timeout with seven straight to cap off an 11-point run. Ashley Taylor and Grace Luevanos would combine for the final six points for the Bulldogs.
 
The Bulldogs kept the score close early in the second stanza after back-to-back kills by Courtney Carter and Jailen Hurley made the score 5-4. The Hilltoppers would go on a 10-1 run midway through the set to extend the lead to 10. LA Tech responded with four of the next five, highlighted by a big block by Megan Cooley and Taylor. Riley Steubing would get back-to-back aces, the final points of the set for the Bulldogs.
 
Luevanos gave the Bulldogs the lead to start the third with a kill and ace. WKU would respond with an 8-1 run to grab the lead. The Bulldogs would fight back into the set with kills by Carter and Luevanos, followed by two Hilltoppers' errors to get the score within three. Western Kentucky would close the match with the final six points to take it 3-0 (25-8, 25-12, 25-12)
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Amber McCray

"WKU is the #23 team in the country for a good reason. They do a great job of running a fast offense and we struggled to defend their speed pin to pin. I was proud of our passing today and the defensive stops McKenzie Johnson made all weekend. Our inconsistencies offensively continue to plague us, so we are going to spend all week finding the most aggressive lineup to take into Liberty and give us the best chance to score points."

NOTABLES

• Taylor and Carter led the Bulldogs with four kills apiece.
• Lauren Albrecht finished with 10+ kills for the 19th time this season with 12 against the Hilltoppers.
• McKenzie Johnson finished with 12 digs, the 18th time this season she finished in double-digits.
• Steubing finished with a career-high two aces.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs hit the road for the final time this season when they travel to take on Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., on Thursday, Nov. 2 for a 5 p.m. CT start.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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