Western Kentucky’s volleyball team started its trip to Michigan with a three-set sweep of Marist at the Breslin Center on Friday in East Lansing, Michigan.

Freshman outside hitter Alivia Skidmore led the charge for the Hilltoppers (3-1) with 13 total kills on the match and finishing with a .611 hitting percentage. A total of seven different Hilltoppers contributed offensively against the Red Foxes (0-4 overall) in the 3-0 (25-8, 25-16, 25-12) win.

“That was a match going in we knew we needed to win,” WKU coach Travis Hudson said in a news release. “It was just a matter of staying locked in and we did that. We were able to play a lot of different players in a lot of different positions and feel good about it going into the evening.”

Back-to-back 6-0 runs with the first punctuated by a kill from senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox and the second a solo block from sophomore outside hitter Gabby Weihe produced a 16-lead for the Hilltoppers in set one. The Red Foxes couldn’t break into double-digit scoring and their eight points scored is the fewest by a WKU opponent so far this season.

Marist’s 16 points was the most they scored in all three sets, but the Hilltoppers were able to put together a team hitting percentage of .407 to earn the set two victory. Skidmore led in kills with six in set two, while Weihe was strong at the service line with three aces.

The Hilltoppers only got better in the third set, with Skidmore posting another six kills and junior setter Callie Bauer earned her first solo block of the season. The team finished with a .577 hitting percentage in set three and a .551 hitting percentage overall.

Skidmore posted her third-straight match with at least 10 kills and finished with her best hitting percentage so far this season (.611). Gabby Weihe’s four service aces is a career-high in a single match.

Friday’s match against Marist was the first time WKU has played them in program history.

The Hilltoppers continue their time in Michigan with a match against host Michigan State at 6 p.m. on Friday.