In a season loaded with challenges, Western Kentucky volleyball coach Travis Hudson watched his team overcome and excel on the court and in the locker room.

That a good portion of that watching came with his leg propped on a scooter was the least rewarding part of the experience for Hudson, but a part just the same.

“I’m content with everything this season was,” Hudson said Monday during a weekly news conference. “I’m content with the growth from beginning to end. I’m content with the way we handled adversity, the way be bounced back in terms of individually and team-wise. … I think this season put WKU volleyball culture to the test and I think it passed with flying colors.

“It’s just rewarding — rewarding is a good word.”

It was a season of tests, both of the expected and surprise variety for the Hilltoppers.

WKU started 4-6 before winning the final three non-conference games. The Hilltoppers were 18-0 in Conference USA and secured their sixth straight tournament title – 10th in 11 years.

Hudson and associate head coach Craig Bere both sustained injuries the same night playing volleyball in late October – Hudson from a Lisfranc injury to his foot and Bere from a torn Achilles tendon, with each requiring surgery. They missed six games, including the final two road trips of the season.

The Tops soldiered on, as for a time assistant coaches Jena Otec and Kristi Griffin and graduate assistant Kyle Cohan handled the coaching duties. All the while, WKU (28-7) was more and more becoming the player-led squad Hudson had always hoped it would be.

“I’m really proud of our kids,” Hudson said. “I’m proud of how we competed and represented ourselves. I’m proud of the growth that we had. Looking forward to getting a little rest and then starting this process all over again.

” … We played at a high level this year. We grew to play at a high level. We didn’t start the year at a high level and anytime our season ends with a conference championship and a conference tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament berth, you can’t be anything but proud.”

The Hilltoppers’ season came to an end Thursday with a 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23) loss to Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Lexington. The defeat snapped WKU’s 24-game win streak and a streak of six straight wins in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

WKU finished with nine kills more than Minnesota, a .250 hitting percentage (with the Golden Gophers hitting .186), three more blocks and one more dig. But a lack of aces from the service game was the difference in Hudson’s mind.

“The missed serves weren’t the issue, it was the lack of aces that was an issue,” Hudson said. “We needed to push it because they were so physical, so athletic and so good offensively that we had to be aggressive.

“I was comfortable missing 14, 15 serves in that four-set match, but you can’t have one ace. We just didn’t execute enough, apply enough pressure in that piece of the game. It’s something that we talk about all the time. But man, we sure played well in a lot of other areas of the game.”

Although looking forward to the break and the promise of soon getting his cast removed, Hudson is excited about what lies ahead for his program. With four newcomers joining the team in the spring, including three incoming freshmen who are graduating high school early in time to join WKU’s workouts in January. Hudson said the Tops will have 12 players for the spring sessions and said “the talent level is pretty special moving forward.”

“It’s an exciting time here,” Hudson said. “The future has been laid for us to do great things moving forward. I like our talent level coming back. There’s a lot of excitement in the air, even at the end of a season, for the possibilities of what’s to come.”

The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced their All-Region selections on Tuesday with WKU Volleyball earning two All-Region nods and one Honorable Mention.

WKU TRIO EARNS AVCA HONORS

WKU senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox and redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer earned a spot on the AVCA All-Region squad, with the honor being Cox’s second and Bauer’s first.

Joining the Hilltoppers on AVCA’s list is sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele earning her first AVCA Honorable Mention accolade.

Cox led the Hilltoppers to their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and ninth regular-season championship and 10th conference tournament championship. She posted a team high 466 kills during the season with a .314 hitting percentage [466-121-1098] and also accumulated 50 aces, the most for her in a single season. On defense, she posted a total of 70 blocks including 25 solo efforts.

Bauer’s first All-Region honor comes while currently ranking first in the country in assists with 1,387 and 13th in assists per set with 11.01. She posted WKU’s only triple-double on Oct. 9 with 10 kills, 39 assists, and 15 digs and also possesses 10 double-doubles on the season. She posted a season-high 55 assists against UTEP on Oct. 26 and helped the Hilltoppers to the fourth best hitting percentage in the country at .305.

Rounding out the AVCA awards is Van De Wiele, earning her first Honorable Mention. The 6-foot-5 sophomore from Bettendorf, Iowa, exploded defensively for the Hilltoppers, recording a team-best 177 blocks, good enough for fourth best in the country. Van De Wiele is also ranked sixth in the country in solo blocks with 34. Offensively, Van De Wiele proved to be a lethal middle, recording 291 kills on the season for a .302 hitting percentage.

With their All-Region awards, both Cox and Bauer are eligible for the All-American ballot. Those teams will be announced on Dec. 18.