WKU Invitational (Sept. 7-8) 
Tournament Info: Tournament Central
Location: Bowling Green, Ky.
Arena: E.A. Diddle Arena
Teams: Chattanooga, WKU, Miami (OH), Notre Dame
Coverages: Live Stats | Watch (vs. WKU) ($)

CHATTANOOGA --- Three 2017 NCAA Tournament participants including two conference champions await the Chattanooga Mocs volleyball program this weekend at the Holiday Inn University Plaza Hotel Invitational – hosted by WKU – in Bowling Green, Ky.
 
Chattanooga (4-3) will face tournament-host WKU on Friday at Noon ET before closing out the day with a 4:30 p.m. ET matchup against Miami (OH). They'll wrap up tournament play against Notre Dame on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.
 
All three opponents earned berths to the NCAA Tournament a season ago and combined for a 76-23 overall record in 2017. WKU (C-USA) and Miami (OH) (MAC) each won their respective conferences while Notre Dame finished fifth in the ACC.
 
Chattanooga is coming off a 3-1 loss to in-state foe Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night, snapping a three-match winning streak. The Mocs won all three matches in the Chattanooga Classic last weekend to earn the tournament title.
 
"I know our team will respond the right way after a disappointing setback at Tennessee Tech, and we are going to have to be fully prepared in that response to fight for everything, every point, and be consistent in every phase of the game because of the level of competition we will face," said head coach Travis Filar.
 
"We brought the best out of Tennessee and Michigan State our first weekend because of our level of play, and we are going to need to repeat that task in facing these three established and successful programs in Western Kentucky, Miami of Ohio, and Notre Dame."
 
Dani Szczepanski was named the Classic's 'Most Outstanding Player' and the Southern Conference's Offensive Player of the Week for her play last weekend. Szczepanski totaled 44 kills at a .527 hitting percentage and set a new program record in hitting percentage with 20+ kills after posting 20 at a .731 clip in Saturday's win over North Alabama. Entering Tuesday, she ranked fourth in NCAA DI with a .534 hitting percentage for the season.
 
Freshman Jaquelyn Langhaim showed off her versatility last weekend and accomplished a rare feat in the process. Langhaim recorded 17 kills and 26 assists to post a unique kill-assist double-double. Dating back to 2000, it marks the first K-A double-double within the Chattanooga program. For the season, she ranks first on the team with 124 assists and fourth in kills with 41.
 
Opponent previews can be found below.
 
WKU Hilltoppers (3-4)
Western Kentucky enters the weekend on a two-match skid and sits at 3-4 this season. WKU dropped matches to Kansas State and Marquette while defeating tournament-host Saint Louis last weekend. They finished 31-4 overall last season and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Hilltoppers are led by Rachel Anderson who ranks first on the team with 81 kills, a .369 hitting percentage and 26 total blocks. Taylor Bebout directs the offense with a team-high 214 assists while Emma Kowalkowski and Payton Frederick anchors the defense with 80 and 76 digs, respectively, this season.
 
Miami (OH) Redhawks (5-2)
Miami University (OH) travels to Bowling Green, Ky., winners of four of their last five, having a four-match win streak snapped on Tuesday with a 3-1 loss at Dayton. Miami (OH) finished 2017 with a 23-9 overall record and a 13-3 mark in the MAC, earning the championship and berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The Redhawks offense is led by Margaret Payne who has registered 71 kills on a .375 percentage so far this season. A pair of setters in Morgan Seaman and Jennifer Schulze have each eclipsed 100+ assists while defensively; Taylor Daignault leads the team with 75 digs.
 
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1)
Notre Dame won its first four matches of the season before falling for the first time last Sunday, 3-1 at Purdue. UND capped off last season with an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after finishing 22-10 overall and 12-8 in the ACC.

Jemma Yeadon and Charley Niego lead the Fighting Irish offense with 52 and 46 kills, respectively, while Zoe Nunez has dished out 156 of the 185 total team assists. Defensively, libero Ryann DeJarld paces the squad with a team-high 97 digs at an impressive 6.06 per set average.

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