Returning to the sidelines was never in doubt for Hudson, especially after Western Kentucky's 2017 season, when the Hilltoppers came within three points of their first-ever Sweet 16 performance only to fall to sixth-ranked Kentucky. For the fourth time in the last five seasons, WKU Volleyball will be represented at the U.S. Women’s Volleyball National Team Open Tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colo., as Paige Briggs and Lauren Matthews will vie for a chance to wear the red, white and blue. Had he waited even a few weeks longer, his doctor told him melanoma would have entered his bloodstream. It was a struggle to get through the day from a fatigue standpoint and regulating medications. But Hudson's disappointment wasn't about results. “It is with profound sadness that we deal with the loss of Alyssa Cavanaugh,” WKU Volleyball head coach … Hudson nearly signed a top-50 recruit but it didn't pan out. They've reminded me why I wanted to do this in the first place.". A 1994 graduate of WKU, Hudson holds a bachelor's degree in business management with a marketing emphasis. With a cumulative GPA of 3.514, the Lady Toppers have earned the Team Academic Award for the 18th time since 1999. FOJ would forever change the lives of people involved with WKU volleyball, as the group connected the team with Harlie Bryant in 2012. Hulsmeyer, now associate head coach at Florida State, had no assistant at that time. Producer Mark Webster Jr. shares a quote from head coach Tyson Helton (20:51-21:48) before he brings in Kaden Gaylord to debate who should be WKU's new starting quarterback (21:49-27:43). In his 25th season at the helm of the program, Hudson led the Lady Toppers to a 32-2 overall record which included a perfect 14-0 mark in Conference USA, the league's regular season and tournament titles, and the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament national seed at No. The Lady Toppers boast a 100-percent graduation rate in Hudson's tenure, with eight of his players earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. She didn't look alarmed. Two days after a third doctor's visit, a surgeon removed a section of his shoulder. By the time the bus pulled off of Interstate 65, Hudson had immersed himself into the 2019 season. She ranks second in WKU Volleyball history with 1,816 career kills and third all-time with 3.78 kills per set across her career. One night later, 5,023 people came through the arena doors to watch the rematch between WKU and Louisville. Prior to assuming the head coaching duties for the Lady Toppers in 1995, he served as an assistant coach for two years with Mark Hardaway, who left The Hill to take the head coaching position at Evansville, and one campaign under Jeff Hulsmeyer, former head coach at Purdue. After taking over the helm in 1995 and finishing that campaign with a 7-26 overall record, a resurgence in WKU Volleyball came at an astounding pace. The team was honored by the NCAA for having a multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) score in the top 10 percent nationally through the 2018-19 academic year, which marks the 14th-straight year the Lady Toppers ranked in the top 10 percent nationally. WKU hit the ground running come postseason time in 2017, getting to play all five postseason matches in the Bluegrass State. Hudson never touched a volleyball prior to attending Western Kentucky, just a half hour away from his hometown, Bee Spring. Hudson also served as WKU's interim head coach on two occasions, once after Hulsmeyer left for Arkansas State in 1991 and again in the spring of 1995 following the departure of Hardaway. Lucas returns to WKU after two years on the Purdue staff under head coach Dave Shondell. His student-athletes earned 59 All-Sun Belt Conference selections, including 35 first-team honorees, as well as five selections for SBC Player of the Year, six for SBC Defensive Player of the Year, one for SBC Setter of the Year and four for SBC Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. Follow @TravisHudsonWKU WKU Volleyball. The senior ultimately won the fan vote and earned First Team All-American status from the prestigious organization. WKU's success on and off the court has been a labor of love for Hudson, dating back to his days as a student at WKU. Hudson and WKU finished the season on a high note as the Lady Toppers found postseason success after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history with a sweep of Arizona. The 24-year-old was a four-time All-American during her career from 2014-2017. He never dreamed that would be as volleyball coach at his alma mater. Five times the American Volleyball Coaches Association named him its South Regional Coach of the Year. Head Volleyball Coach: Becca Acevedo: Assistant Volleyball Coach: Courtney Furlong: Graduate Assistant Coach : View Full Bio 1 Isabel Schaefbauer. "They usually don't make it to ICU because they die.". 1.6K likes. The couple has two sons, Tyler and Andrew. 2 seed in the C-USA Tournament for the second-consecutive season finishing with a 20-10 record. BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Alyssa Cavanaugh had finished up her volleyball career at Western Kentucky University, graduated, and was preparing for a professional career playing overseas. To the contrary, he continues to ambitiously set new goals for his program and his players, pushing them to reach heights never before seen at WKU. But Hudson is not a man to rest on his accomplishments. Matthews also added AVCA Honorable Mention All-American honors and C-USA Tournament MVP status. Every player has WKU notecards in her locker. Hudson offered to come to practice and shag balls. "I wasn't physically or maybe even mentally ready to return," Hudson said. But the roots of this story predate his first entry. Travis Hudson had a heart attack a year ago. This season marks the 20th consecutive year the Tops have won at least 20 games. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. After a 2019 season in which the Western Kentucky University volleyball program continued to climb to new heights, the Conference USA coaches have picked the Hilltoppers to … But he had no reason to suspect it was a heart attack. The Lady Toppers would end up heading to Lexington, Ky., for the NCAA Tournament and sweep defensive-power Notre Dame. In fact, he was just getting started. He has 23 winning seasons in his career, as he has 21 seasons with 20 or more wins as well as nine campaigns with 30 or more wins. LISTEN: WKU Volleyball Coach Travis Hudson Shares His Thoughts On The Atmosphere Inside Diddle Arena Thursday Night | WKU Connection WKU Athletics/Steve Roberts After a 3-0 set sweep of Kennesaw State last night in the opening round of the NCAA tournament Western Kentucky Volleyball will look to advance to the sweet 16 with a victory tonight against the University of Louisville. In addition, Natalie Furry became the first WKU (and Sun Belt Conference) volleyball player to earn Verizon Academic All-America recognition, winning a spot on the third team in 2000. The Lady Toppers have also won or shared the WKU Female Scholar Team Award five times. Hudson and the Tops are one of just five programs in the nation to produce 20 or more consecutive 20-win seasons. 6 Kentucky before the Wildcats fought back and ultimately claimed the five-set match. Friday night’s attendance alone topped the two-day total of eight of the other sites. Originally from Beaver Dam, Ky., Bryant was diagnosed with a brain tumor behind her eyes at a young age. Travis Hudson settled into his seat and pulled out a black spiral notebook he had bought before the trip. “It is with profound sadness that we deal with the loss of Alyssa Cavanaugh,” WKU Volleyball head coach … A piece of plaque flaking off his artery had landed in the worst of places -- directly blocking the main valve that supplied blood to Hudson's heart. 22 final ranking. Hudson's student-athletes are also highly involved in the Bowling Green area, giving countless hours to community service efforts. In the department's first four seasons in Conference USA, Hudson guided the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 squads to four-straight regular season titles and sequential C-USA Championships before adding a fifth set of league trophies in 2019. For the 14th-consecutive season, WKU Volleyball has been recognized as a recipient of the AVCA Team Academic Award for its work in the classroom throughout the 2019-20 school year. A fitness buff, he eats right. Hudson cites six core values -- respect, trust, hard work, accountability, positivity and a team-before-me attitude -- behind WKU volleyball's culture, pillars that fell short last year. Story and photo Courtesy of: WKU Athletics BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Volleyball legend Alyssa Cavanaugh passed away on Friday morning at Norton Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. We let some things slip and weren't committed to the things I want us to be about, and it showed.". “I’ve dreamed of what I … LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville native and Western Kentucky University volleyball legend Alyssa Cavanaugh died Friday morning at age 24, according to WKU… Records created by volleyball coaches regarding camps and team. Hudson is the 58th DI volleyball coach all-time to win 600 or more matches in their career and is one of just 18 to do it all with the same team. The 2016 WKU squad proved to be one of the elite teams in the nation both on and off the court. He has also spent time as a member of the polling committee for AVCA Top 25 rankings. Hudson is the cousin of former Hilltopper basketball great Bob Daniels, who lettered for WKU from 1954-57. Nadia Dieudonne collected C-USA Setter of the Year honors and AVCA All-Region recognition in her first year on The Hill. Jessica Lucas and Alyssa Cavanaugh were both named Senior CLASS Award candidates and when the field narrowed to 10, Lucas was named a Senior CLASS finalist. Official Facebook page of the WKU Lady Topper volleyball team "I've mailed over 150 notecards in the last few months," Hudson said. Hudson had no family history of heart disease. BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Four-time All-American and WKU Volleyball legend Alyssa Cavanaugh passed away Friday morning at Norton Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. 1.7K likes. In his first season, the Hilltoppers finished 7-26. Can hardly argue with the squad to its 19th-straight 20-win season and secured the.! 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