By Cheval John | Vallano Media
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Brenda Gray and Travis Hudson have each reached 800 career wins at the programs they still lead.

Their teams meet in Huntsville this week with different stakes.

Western Kentucky can finish unbeaten in Conference USA play, while Sam Houston has two home matches left to improve its tournament seed.

The Bearkats host the Hilltoppers at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in the final week of Conference USA regular-season play.

First serve is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, and 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, both Central time.

The conference tournament follows Nov. 20–22 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Hudson earned his 800th win when WKU swept Middle Tennessee in November 2025.

Gray reached the milestone on Oct. 16 with Sam Houston’s five-set win over Delaware.

Both coaches are alumni of the universities they lead.

Gray, a 1982 Sam Houston graduate, has coached the Bearkats since 1984.

Hudson graduated from Western Kentucky in 1994 and took over the Hilltoppers in 1995 at age 24.

WKU (20–6, 14–0 CUSA) has won 15 straight matches.

Its Nov. 7 sweep of Liberty secured an eighth consecutive CUSA regular-season title and the No. 1 tournament seed.

The win also gave the Hilltoppers their 27th straight season with at least 20 wins, the longest active streak of its kind in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball, according to WKU Athletics.

Sam Houston (17–10, 8–6 CUSA) returns to Huntsville, where it’s 8–2 this season, after splitting two matches at Middle Tennessee.

The Bearkats won the opener by taking the final five points of the deciding set, then lost the rematch in four sets.

One matchup to watch is Chloe Monson against WKU’s block.

Monson led Sam Houston with 17 kills in the win over Middle Tennessee, while Izzy Van De Wiele recorded seven blocks in WKU’s sweep of Liberty.

If the Bearkats can give Monson clean swings against that front line, they’ll have a better chance of handing the Hilltoppers their first conference loss.