WKU takes down Arizona in straight sets

PROVO, Utah-- The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers took down the Arizona Wildcats in three straight sets (25-22, 25-15, 25-17) in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday evening at the Smith Field House in Provo.

After trailing the Hilltoppers in the first set 9-13, the Wildcats brought the score to 14-15. The teams traded points until WKU pulled out a 25-22 victory.

Western Kentucky jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead. They extended their lead to 13-6, but Arizona got behind a strong offensive effort led by senior Nikki Attea to make it 15-11 for WKU. However, the Hilltoppers offensive caught fire and took the their lead to 21- 15. They finished off the game 25-15, behind five kills from sophomore Alyssa Cavanaugh.

Arizona came out strong in the third set, taking a 5-2 lead. Defensive efforts from the Hilltoppers, including a solo block from Hayley Bodway, tied the score at 6-6. The teams would trade points back and forth until the Hilltoppers pulled away with an 11-8 lead. Western Kentucky pulled away with a 19-12 lead behind the kills of Sydney Engle. They held strong to the end of the game, winning the third set 25-17. 

Western Kentucky will take on the winner of BYU and the University of Ohio tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. MST in Provo. BYU will play Ohio tonight at 7:00 p.m. MST in Provo. The game will be broadcast on BYUtv and TheW.tv. Links to live stats for each match can be found on the BYU women's volleyball schedule page.