RUSTON – Louisiana Tech put up a spirited fight late but ultimately fell 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 26-24) to reigning Conference USA champion and preseason favorite WKU on Friday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
LA Tech (7-12, 0-5 CUSA) challenged WKU (14-4, 5-0 CUSA) throughout the night, particularly in a thrilling third set that featured 12 ties and multiple lead changes before WKU closed it out in extra points.

The Bulldogs opened strong, jumping ahead 3-1 behind early kills from Grace Luevanos and Anaya Hairston.  WKU responded with a 6-0 run to seize control at 9-4.  LA Tech trimmed the deficit to 19-16 after a kill and a block from Jailen Hurley, but the Hilltoppers answered with another burst, winning six of the last seven points to pull away for the 25-17 victory.
 
The second set was all WKU as the Hilltoppers hit .500 and rattled off runs of 8-1 and 6-1 to win the game going away 25-11.
 
The Bulldogs regrouped and played their best volleyball in the third set.  Trailing 7-2 early, LA Tech stormed back with a 6-1 run capped by kills from Giulia Bonifacio and Charlize Williams to tie things at 8-8.  
 
From there, it was a back-and-forth battle.  LA Tech led 18-15 and later 22-20 before WKU rallied with timely kills to even the score at 23-all.  After trading points to 24-24, WKU closed the match on consecutive points to escape with the sweep.
 
Bonifacio and Gabrielle Hairston led the Bulldogs with six kills apiece followed by a trio with four – Carla Esquer, Luevanos, and Williams.  Setter Sydnee Carter distributed 15 assists, and libero Riley Steubing collected a team-high 10 digs.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Scott Mattera
 
Opening statement…
"I told the team as we went through the handshake line at the end that every one of those sets could look like the third when we battle like that.  We respect the heck out of Western Kentucky.  They have been the big dogs in conference.  But it does not mean we need to fear them.  We know they are good, but we also know what they do.  We know our A-game can hang with anybody.  All I wanted to see was that fight and the fight in three was beautiful.  It was intense volleyball, and it is what we can be, but we need to do it all the time."
 
On the third set…
"It was interesting because we were almost begging them to believe.  Even in the first seven points of the match, we saw several things that we had designed that worked.  It was constant preaching that our stuff works when we do it right.  Our serve game was good.  We drew some errors from them, which is tough to do.  Our blocking game was a lot more disciplined with what we were trying to do.  And then our back row made some plays.  We played hard."
 
UP NEXT
LA Tech and WKU will battle for a second time tomorrow inside the TAC.  First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources.  Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes.  Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
 
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand.  You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents.  By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way.  Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today.  You bark.  We bark.  Louder together.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Volleyball, follow us on X (@LATechVB), Instagram (@LATechVB), and Facebook (LATechVolleyball).