3-16-21

Volume 96, Issue 21

ONE YEAR Week of March 16, 2021

SINCE THE PANDEMIC

LIFE BEFORE COVID HIT

COLLEGE HEIGHTS

HERALD

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HERALD STAFF

2 NEWS

Week of March 16, 2021

Local family helps the homeless through donations

By Gabrielle Bunton

The Warming Tree is an example of how the Bowling Green community comes together to take care of its people.

The Warming Tree is located by the walking bridge at the RiverWalk at Mitch McConnell Park. People can come and place donations for the homeless that live by the bridge. The tradition was started by Teresa Douglas in 2017. It was then taken over by her granddaughter Kimber Doyle in 2018 after her grandfather had lung cancer.

People have left various things on the tree such as food, socks, scarves, hygiene items, hats, coats and more.

The biggest donation so far came from Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Phi Beta Lambda, the collegiate division of Future Business Leaders of America.

Janel Doyle, Kimber’s mother, said that they have been collecting items for months.

“They took all of their items and brought them to the tree,” Janel Doyle said. “That’s the biggest donation from individual groups this year that we are aware of.”

Kim Otto, advisor of Phi Beta Lambda and associate professor at SKYCTC, said the student organization was having a hard time finding community service due to the pandemic.

“Janel used to teach at SKYCTC, and I have always kept up with her,” Otto said. “After seeing what her daughter was doing, I was touched.

The Warming Tree was something where we didn’t have to be around a lot of people, and we could do it safely.”

While the student organization is focused on business and helping students with their leadership skills,

they also build relationships with the community and the campus, making community service an important aspect. For the massive donation, they set up donation boxes on all six of their campuses.

“I think we collected over 100 items like gloves, scarves, coats, socks and some blankets,” Otto said. “Everyone participated and actually donated, and we had a really good response.”

The humble roots of the Warming Tree have not only inspired people, but let the Doyle family keep up their tradition of giving back to the community.

Kimber Doyle said the inspiration behind it was just being able to give back to people.

“It’s giving love back to the community,” Kimber Doyle said. “It’s giving love to us when we put things on it and they take it. Helping the homeless stay warm and have food in their stomachs

is all about love.”

With her mother being the coordinator for Toys for Tots, Kimber Doyle has been serving the community since she was four years old. With her years of community service, Kimber Doyle has learned a life lesson – equality.

“Everybody is equal, even if they don’t have anywhere to live. God still put them on this earth,” Kimber Doyle said. “Everyone is able to have love in their hearts, especially what we’re going through right now. I think it’s very important.”

Find updates and more information about the Warming Tree on their Facebook page, The Warming Tree.

Gabrielle Bunton can be reached at gabrielle.bunton605@topper.wku. edu. Follow her on Twitter @gabriellebunton.

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NEWS 3

Week of March 16, 2021

Reflection: How things have changed one year into COVID

By Lily Burris

Where were you March 13, 2020?

The last set of front-page headlines the Herald printed before the pandemic were, “Back and Better: After injury, WKU pitcher returns to rotation,” “Arabic program stands out in state,” “SGA to attend rally for higher education,” and “WKU students in Italy to return early.” Of those four headlines, only one story even mentions COVID-19.

When the coronavirus achieved official pandemic status, WKU was on spring break. The university decided to extend the break for another week, and there would be just two weeks of online classes before students return fully in person.

Students didn’t come back in

person at all for the spring 2020.

Instead, they packed up dorms and apartments, headed home and waited to see what was next.

WKU had students around the world when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Some students came home from abroad and were the first to experience a mandatory two-week quarantine, uncertain of what that really meant. Others were in the car on the way back from the west or sitting in their beach hotel room asking if they should just stay another week.

This issue of the Herald includes stories on a local charity trying to figure out how to safely help those in need in the pandemic, a new House bill on menstrual product taxes, a story about how student

SUMMER JOB OPPORTUNITY! Residential Counselor for Summer Programs for Gifted Students WKU’s The Center for Gifted Studies will employ 12-14 residential counselors for the Academically Talented Middle School Students (June 6 – 18) and the Summer Program for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth (June 20 – July 10). Counselors will supervise the conduct and activities of 10-14 residential students, plan and implement recreational activities, and work under the direct supervision of Dr. Julia Roberts, Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies.

REQUIREMENTS • College degree or currently in second year of college • Strong academic performance • Strong moral character • Successful experiences working with young people and shared interests with young people

Salary of $400 per week plus room and meals!

HOW TO APPLY: Complete an application and upload a resume at wku.edu/gifted/counselor. For more information, contact (270) 745-6323 or gifted@wku.edu. Applications are due March 15, 2021.

organizations are affected by the pandemic, and a piece on what the end of a COVID volleyball season looks like. We’re a year into this, and things look so different.

People don’t talk about what Bonnaroo looked like this year.

There aren’t many people with a friend they’re calling across six time zones that they lived with last semester. No one has spring break plans that don’t include some type of Blackboard assignment they need to remember. Stadiums aren’t packed to the point of risking nachos in your hair because the person behind you got shoved. Things just are not the same.

Today, we wear masks and fill rooms to half capacity. There are plexiglass dividers for desks, offices

and restaurants. People talk about vaccines and how long they need to quarantine, seven days or 10. We don’t hug strangers and we don’t dance with someone we don’t know.

The Herald runs multiple news stories each week with COVID updates from WKU and the governor.

International news sources discuss vaccines that aren’t approved here, and you can’t fake an illness anymore to get that social obligation break you so desperately need.

We’re not in the same place we were a year ago.

So, where were you March 13, 2021?

Assignment Editor Lily Burris can be reached at lily.burris203@ topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter @lily_burris.

4 COMMUNITY

Week of March 16, 2021

Burmese residents arrive for vaccination

By Loren Gaskin

Print edition published weekly

by WKU Student Publications at Western Kentucky University.

First copy: free | Additional copies: $1

EDITORIAL BOARD

Laurel Deppen Editor-in-chief Ellie Tolbert Managing editor Nick Fuller Digital director Lily Burris Assignment editor Michael J. Collins Digital news editor Nick Kieser Sports editor

Loren Gaskin Community editor Gabi Broekema Sam Mallon Multimedia editors Zachery McClain Social media manager Megan Fisher Design editor Hannah Crisp Copy desk chief

OTHER LEADERS AND ADVISERS Robin Robinson Distribution manager Brian Kehne Advertising manager Emma Spainhoward Cherry Creative director

Carrie Pratt Herald adviser Will Hoagland Advertising adviser Chuck Clark Student Publications director

POLICIES

Background: Members of the Burmese community in Bowling Green came to get their COVID vaccine.

Since the COVID vaccine has begun distribution across the globe, we have heard a lot about its distribution and the vaccine itself.

Despite skepticism by some, millions have been vaccinated in the United States alone. Various locations and institutions in Bowling Green have already begun distributing these on a large scale.

This past Sunday, the WKU Health and Sciences Center had many members of the Bowling Green Burmese community come to get vaccinated, including Andrew Mung, 37, who has been in Bowling Green for about two years.

“Our worry is how soon we are gonna get this,” Mung said. “We thought that vaccine will come for the rich people.

“For myself personally, we are getting this today, I am very excited about it.”

This event was especially impor-

tant to him because he says that, “…it affected us every day of our lives, because our community, we connected to each other.”

He cited several events they could no longer practice such as worshipping, funerals, and general community connections they used to have.

He commented on the worries that COVID has brought related to the death toll, as well as the risk his people take in Myanmar due to the ongoing military coup. Mung connected the risk his people take protesting during COVID and the ongoing struggles there.

“I have been so pleased with our community,” Melinda Joyce, who runs the vaccination center, said. “I mean people have really stepped up.

They’ve wanted to get the vaccine, and people are coming in, but the fact that we can do between 850 and 920 for six days each week, is just showing that people really want to get this vaccine.

“We have had teachers who have told us how happy they are because they can get back in the classroom, she said. "We have had grandparents

who’ve said they can’t wait because they wanna go hug their grandkids.

We’ve had people who say, ‘I just want to do something simple like go talk to my neighbors.’ So, it’s been wonderful to see the outpouring of what we’ve seen from the community."

Joyce said her team started talking about skepticism around the vaccine early.

“I know, myself, that I did a lot of talks to different groups. Just to talk about the vaccine. How it was developed. What was to be expected from the vaccine. I think the more education helps a great deal. I think seeing pictures of so many people getting the vaccine helps also.”

She said there have been over 45,000 vaccines given out corporate wide, and the people who have taken these have done really well. She believes that “this is the way we can get back to normal.”

The WKU faculty and staff are now eligible for the vaccine and are encouraged to go forward with this process.

Loren Gaskin can be reached at loren.gaskin722@topper.wku.edu.

Opinions expressed in the College Heights Herald are those of student editors and journalists and do not necessarily represent the views of WKU. Student editors determine all news and editorial content, and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions.

CONTACT US

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FUN PAGE

WKU Herald 3/16/21 Trivia Puzzle

Herald 3/16/21 Crossword

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Trivia Grab Bag

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1. When did the Peanuts comic strip debut? (a) August 15, 1949 (b) June 10, 1952 (c) October 2, 1950 2. How many battleships were involved in the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor? (a) 9 (b) 4 (c) 11 3. How many Saturday Evening Post covers did Norman Rockwell paint? (a) 227 (b) 318 (c) 184 4. Jack Ruby owned two Dallas nightclubs. One was the Vegas Club. What was the name of the other one? (a) Dallas Palace (b) Velvet Nights (c) Carousel Club 5. What was the name of explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship? (a) Endurance (b) Discovery (c) Intrepid 6. What designer became famous when Richard Gere wore his suits in American Gigolo? (a) Lauren (b) Armani (c) Gucci 7. What celebrity is known as the least likely to sign autographs? (a) Toby Maguire (b) Beyonce (c) Angelina Jolie 8. How many vertebrae do cats have in their spines? (a) 34 (b) 60 (c) 82 9. What American baseball team was originally known as the Highlanders? (a) Cincinnati Reds (b) Boston Red Sox (c) New York Yankees 10. Freedom's Journal, the first African-American newspaper was 1 published in what year? (a) 1827 (b) 1868 (c) 1841

12 13 14 1 Perry Como’s “___ Loves 16 17 15 Mambo” 19 20 21 5 Comedian’s stock 18 9 Quaint dance 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 12 Freshen 13 Paella pot 31 32 33 29 30 14 Commotion 34 35 36 37 38 15 Kind of map or pitcher 43 44 39 40 41 42 16 Spunky 18 Lab eggs 46 47 48 45 19 Goobers, e.g.

WKU 49 50 51 52 53 Herald 54 3/16/21 55 56Sudoku 1 21 One of TV’s WKU Herald 9/8/20 Sudoku PuzzleJ Simpsons 59 60 61 57 58 22 Yanks 24 Kind of cloth 62 63 64 65 66 To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers to 9. and To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row,1column 26 Root beer brand box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

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hen did the Peanuts comic strip debut? ) August 15, 1949 (b) June 10, 1952 (c) October 2, 1950 w many battleships were involved in the December 7, 1941 ack on Pearl Harbor? ) 9 (b) 4 (c) 11 w many Saturday Evening Post covers did Norman ckwell paint? ) 227 (b) 318 (c) 184 ck Ruby owned two Dallas nightclubs. One was the Vegas ub. What was the name of the other one? ) Dallas Palace (b) Velvet Nights (c) Carousel Club hat was the name of explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship? ) Endurance (b) Discovery (c) Intrepid hat designer became famous when Richard Gere wore his its in American Gigolo? ) Lauren (b) Armani (c) Gucci hat celebrity is known as the least likely to sign autographs? ) Toby Maguire (b) Beyonce (c) Angelina Jolie w many vertebrae do cats have in their spines? ) 34 (b) 60 (c) 82 hat American baseball team was originally known as the ghlanders? ) Cincinnati Reds (b) Boston Red Sox (c) New York Yankees eedom's Journal, the first African-American newspaper was blished in what year? ) 1827 (b) 1868 (c) 1841 ©2021 PuzzleJunction.com

Trivia Grab Bag

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Last week's crossword solution:

PHOTO

Week of March 16, 2021

Below left: The added camaraderie that comes from training consistently with a group of people is an important aspect of training to Mason. “Its something you can associate with a group of people that you have to move with throughout the whole day,” Mason said.

Below right: The mental fortitude it takes to continuously attempt to get better at boxing, despite the sometimes harsh nature of the sport is something Mason sees as a parallel to life. “Some people give up too early. They build themselves up, and the first time they get beat, they're like, ‘Man, it's my time to go. I don't need to do this no more,’" Mason said. "Well, no, you still do it, but you learn from that lesson and don't let that lesson happen again."

The progress it's taken for Mason to go from training to coaching at BGKY Boxing is something that cannot be replicated without hard work and determination. “You gotta be willing to humble yourself.

You gotta be willing to take it slow. It's not something that you rush into," Mason said.

SHOWING THE ROPES PHOTOS AND WORDS BY ZANE MEYER-THORNTON

When Zhock Mason first enrolled in classes at BGKY Boxing, he didn't expect he would be a head coach just a few years later. Now he is focused on providing a space for others to learn.

As head coach, Mason facilitates a place where individuals of all ages, skill ranges and backgrounds can come together and practice the sport of boxing.

Mason sees many benefits to partaking in the sport, some that go far past the reach of just learning to throw and dodge punches.

The improvement of his gym and students is at the forefront of Mason's thoughts, but it was not what he initially planned when he first moved to Bowling Green. At the time, Mason was recruited to play football for the WKU Hilltoppers, but after he graduated he decided to take a different route.

"I did a couple of CFL trials, which is the Canadian Football League,” Mason said. “I talked to my family

and stuff like that, and then I saw a flyer for a boxing gym and I was like, 'I really, really used to like boxing.'"

Trading in his shoulder pads for boxing gloves wasn't an easy decision, but Mason was confident that he could persevere through hard work and dedication.

"I had a big willingness to learn it,” Mason said. “I just knew if I put the work ethic in on the fundamentals it would pay off. Don't try to go too fast, just enjoy the process."

Over the last few years, this mindset has been proven right. Since then, Mason has become one of the head coaches at BGKY Boxing, and he still trains for his own amateur boxing fights. Usually, individuals transition to a coaching role after they are finished competing, but Mason views this situation differently.

"One thing I noticed at the gym is sometimes when I go out there and I compete, it helps other people being able to see a good example of it," Mason said.

Being a source of inspiration to his students is a humbling experience for Mason.

"It just means a lot, you know? Good community, good people,” Mason said. “It makes you make sure that you want to make the most every day."

Mason hopes his reach extends outside of boxing.

He believes many lessons learned in the sport apply to other aspects of life, and he wants to pass that knowledge on to the community around him.

Mason's effort towards the progress of his students and business have garnered great progress, but he adamantly credits those around him who have helped make his community what it is today.

SEE THE FULL STORY ON OUR WEBSITE

Sports have held a place in his heart for the majority of his life, but Mason now finds pleasure in being able to mentor the younger generations. “That's a pretty good feeling for me, just being able to teach somebody to do something they don't know how,” Mason said.

Though boxers commonly gain fame through flashy knockouts and being able to take a punch, Mason tries to educate his students on these misconceptions. “Mike Tyson said it best, ‘Tough guys don't last in boxing,’ and that's the truth, " Mason said. "If you have that tough guy mindset, meaning that you're refusing to kind of be humble and listen, work slow, then you won't last at all because you’ll get ate up before you ever get a chance to grow your skill.”

8 NEWS

Week of March 16, 2021

New House bill potentially removes ‘pink tax’

By Debra Murray

A new Kentucky House of Representatives bill aims to remove taxes from menstrual products to make them more accessible.

A House bill titled “AN ACT relating to an exemption of feminine hygiene products from sales and use taxation” will remove taxation on period products and would make them less expensive. If the bill is passed, it will take effect July 1.

Attica Scott, a state representative from Louisville, wrote the bill with research from a group of University of Louisville students. She said the bill was written to help eliminate period poverty, a term that refers to access or affordability of period products.

“The pink tax [bill], at least for Kentucky, is designed to remove the tax from menstrual hygiene prod-

ucts,” Scott said. “So when people who menstruate go to Walgreens for example, they wouldn't have to pay a tax on sanitary napkins or tampons, or the menstrual cup. It really is designed to help address the issue of period poverty.”

This is the third time that this bill regarding the pink tax has been introduced to the House of Representatives.

“In Kentucky, we have a high poverty rate,” Scott said. “I wanted to make sure that people who need these products – because this is about our health, this is a necessity – that they are able to afford the product.”

A group of University of Louisville students reached out to Scott and asked her to become the primary sponsor on the bill.

“They asked if I would sponsor the bill, and [they would] send the information to me, so I can read through it,

and I was able to just learn for myself how important this issue is,” Scott said. “I mean I knew for myself as I struggled when I was younger with purchasing the products. I said ‘Yes, of course, I will be the primary sponsor for this bill.’”

Patti Minter is a state representative and a WKU history professor. She said the pink tax is a tax on women’s health, despite such products being a necessity.

“In Kentucky, food is not taxed, and prescriptions are not taxed,” Minter said. “There are certain things that are considered to be necessities that are not taxed in Kentucky, but menstrual products are taxed.”

Minter said many college students deal with financial issues. By eliminating the taxation on period products as well as make them free in public places, that is one less concern for students who are struggling financially.

“Having free menstrual products in public places, as well as abolishing the pink tax, does a lot of good to make them accessible to women who otherwise could not afford them,” Minter said.

Not having access to period products can cause many women to not be able to attend school or work. Minter said women who don’t have access to period products tend to miss school or work.

“For many poor women who struggle just to put food on the table and a roof over their head, they don't have access to menstrual products,” Minter said. “That's not a luxury, it's a necessity.”

Organizations that help people in poverty may be affected if this bill is passed. Hope House is an organization that combats poverty and provides many resources for addiction recovery, workforce development and crisis assistance.

Casey Rice is the public relations manager at Hope House. Rice said the bill would make period products more

accessible to people living in poverty.

“Removing taxation on feminine products would directly benefit those experiencing poverty by making these necessities more affordable,” Rice said.

Rice said many people who rely on programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may still need period products since those products are not covered by government assistance.

“In our experience, we do not receive a large number of requests for feminine products, but it’s often a need we uncover when we meet with individuals experiencing poverty through our Advocacy Program,” Rice said. “For people experiencing poverty, it is difficult to afford many basic necessities, and feminine products are certainly included in that category.”

Many WKU students could potentially be affected by this bill if it is passed, especially if they worry about being able to afford their own period products.

Kayla Distler is a freshman studying criminology and psychology from Evansville, Indiana. She said she feels eliminating the taxation is overdue.

“These items have always been seen as a ‘luxury’ when the entirety of menstruation is not luxurious at all,” Distler said. “It’s not like any of us who have periods want to be having them.

It’s just something that happened and being able to be hygienic about it is not a ‘luxury.’”

Distler said the elimination of the tax would help college students save money.

“College is expensive as it is, so clearly most of us are broke,” Distler said. “Being able to save any money we can is helpful.”

Debra Murray can be reached at debra.murray940@topper.wku.edu.

Follow her on Twitter @debramurrayy

NEWS 9

Week of March 16, 2021

How COVID-19 has impacted student organizations

By Shane Stryker

With COVID-19 being as large of a factor as it has been for the past year, it is no secret that on-campus student organizations are seeing the lasting effects of the pandemic.

WKU has seen many new plans, regulations and guidelines to tackle COVID-19 since the start of last semester, and many of these policies have consequently altered the way student organizations operate.

These policies have included social distancing guidelines, alterations in the layouts of public spaces, lowered class sizes and online format options for almost everything on campus.

One of the most impactful policies that has affected student organizations is the limitations on group gatherings with social distancing and reduced participants.

Leah Walker, the women's ministry director for Christian Student Fellowship, addressed the difficulties this caused.

“What mostly seemed to change for us was the number and size of events we could have, so sometimes it feels like less students are coming around because we have fewer things that they can attend,” Walker said in an email.

Walker also contributed the lack of participation in CSF events to the large amount of safety protocols for COVID-19, but mentioned that CSF has still been able to operate semi-normally despite some difficulties.

Ken Barlow, president of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, has seen difficulties with his fraternity due to the pandemic.

“I miss little things like being together with the entire organization at meetings, formals, and other fun

Starbucks @ DSU composts their coffee grounds AND uses Recycleable & Paper Cups!

events we have,” Barlow said in a text.

“COVID-19 took that away and it has been a challenge for everybody, but we have just had to find ways to be creative to spend time with our brothers, whether that is in small groups or virtually.”

Barlow said he is still very passionate about Fiji and has been adamant about making sure that the people he cares about have a memorable semester despite the hardships they may be facing.

Dawson McCoun, the head of legislative research for the Student Government Association, mentioned how his organization has had to find new locations to meet to adhere to social distancing guidelines and start utilizing Zoom so that members can meet virtually.

“Participation has remained like last academic year,” McCoun said in an email. “We’ve had to get used to debating in a hybrid model and conducting business in different ways, but I believe we have been successful.”

Noah Moore, the recruitment chair for HonorsToppers, discussed the difficulties that COVID-19 brought to his organization.

“The biggest challenges have been in finding community events and matching the sheer volume of volunteer opportunities offered during normal years,” Moore said in an email. “With less people willing to visit schools due to the pandemic, we have seen a slight decrease in events; however, we have still been able to

meet and recruit prospective students through Zooms with high schools and virtual visits.”

Moore was also impressed by his organization's ability to adapt to the new circumstances due to COVID-19 and is excited to see how they adapt as things improve.

Chuck Clark, director of Student Publications, echoed the sentiment that remote meetings and work have hampered the usual abilities of organizations to form strong relationships such as the College Heights Herald or the Talisman.

Clark mentioned how university budget cuts and struggling businesses have affected Student Publications.

“The Herald is entirely supported by advertising sales, and the pandemic has drained away much of that revenue,” Clark said in an email. “Also, because of those budget cuts, the Talisman has not been able to publish a print edition of the magazine this year.”

Despite all the difficulties that Student Publications have faced due to the pandemic, Clark noted that he has been impressed by Cherry Creative for their work on nationally recognized virtual products. He said he is proud of the students on the Herald and Talisman staffs for their exceptional work in trying times.

Shane Stryker can be reached at shane.stryker614@topper.wku.edu.

Follow him on Twitter @shanestryker.

PRESTON ROMANOV

WKU Spirit Masters and Juniors John Downing and Matthew Wininger give a tour to a prospective freshman and family inside Downing Student Union on March 15.

Spirit Masters are the official student ambassadors who are responsible for preserving traditions, striving for excellence, and making the spirit of WKU contagious. With in-person classes and living, Spirit Masters are still able to continue the tradition of giving oneon-one tours to prospective students and their families both in-person and virtual.

10 SPORTS

Week of March 16, 2021

Lady Toppers remain undefeated, 4 road matches left

By Cassady Lamb

The WKU volleyball program (14-0), (8-0, C-USA) played its final home game of the season last Friday against West Virginia (8-9). WKU took the match 3-1 after the Mountaineers claimed the first set.

The win over West Virginia let WKU see its first-ever win against a team who hails from the Big 12 conference.

“This match will benefit us so greatly come conference tournament time,” head coach Travis Hudson said Friday in a post-game Zoom conference. “Because we were in a high-intensity, high-level match.”

No. 21 ranked WKU is seeing a record season that the program has never seen before.

On Friday, senior setter Nadia Dieudonne finished the match with a team-high 49 assists while picking up two kills. Junior middle hitter Lauren Matthews led the Lady Toppers with 18 kills.

Now the Lady Toppers have four more Conference USA matches remaining this spring, all of which are road games before the C-USA Volleyball Championship.

Saturday and Sunday Middle Tennessee will host the Lady Toppers, and both matches are slated for 1 p.m. WKU currently has a 15-game winning streak over the Blue Raiders coming into the weekend.

The last time these rivals have faced each other was Nov. 22, 2019.

The Lady Toppers swept the Blue Raiders 3-0, winning each set with double-digit leads.

“Those are going to be challenging matches, that’s our rival, everybody knows what that means,” Hudson said. “Whether we’re playing volleyball, basketball, football or checkers. It’s going to be a competitive matchup.”

To close out the four-game road trip the Lady Toppers have their

ALLIE HENDRICKS The WKU volleyball team celebrates as they extend their lead over West Virginia during the fourth set during the game in Diddle Arena on Mar. 12, 2021. WKU won 3-1.

first matches against Old Dominion March 26-27. The series was announced as postponed Feb. 12 and was originally supposed to be played Feb. 14-15 before WKU had a Tier I positive case within the program.

The C-USA Volleyball Championship will then take place April 1-3 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with quarterfinals being scheduled for April 1, followed by semifinals on Friday and the championship on Saturday.

Volleyball beat reporter Cassady Lamb can be reached at cassady. lamb667@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter @lambp0p.

ALLIE HENDRICKS WKU middle hitter Lauren Matthews (5) hits the ball back over the net during the game in Diddle Arena on Mar. 12, 2021. WKU won 3-1.

SPORTS 11

Week of March 16, 2021

WKU loses C-USA Championship, set to play in NIT

By Kaden Gaylord

WKU (20-7) fell in the Conference USA Championship Saturday 61-57 to North Texas. The Hilltoppers will play Saint Mary’s (14-9) in the 2021 National Invitational Tournament.

“There’s no question about that,” Stansbury said when asked if his team’s effort was good enough for a National Invitational Tournament bid.

“We're one of those teams, for sure.

That wasn't what we came [to the CUSA tournament] for. That's not what our team put ourselves in position to do."

The Hilltoppers played in three games prior to their bid to play in the NIT. WKU had to face Texas San-Antonio in the quarterfinals, a team that had senior Jihvvan Jackson, who dropped 46 points on them inside Diddle Arena two years ago. Jackson was held in

check, only scoring five points for the whole game. Junior Charles Bassey scored 17 of his 21 total points in the second half to help WKU pull away to an 80-67 win.

In the semifinals, the Hilltoppers had to face the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers. Freshman Dayvion Mcknight had one of his best games of the season, posting 13 points, nine assists and three steals.

Bassey had another huge second half, ultimately ending with 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

WKU shot 10-for-20 from behind the three-point line, while the Blazers shot 5-for-14, that’s +15 from behind the arc, which helped catapult the Hilltoppers to a 64-60 win.

The C-USA Championship served as a rematch of last year’s C-USA regular-season championship game between WKU and North Texas.

UNT took a commanding 17-0 lead

in the first half. WKU overcame the deficit in the second half outscoring the Mean Green 25-14. The Hilltoppers were up by seven with three minutes to go before UNT eventually tied it up, sending the game into overtime. North Texas outscored WKU 13-9 in the extended time to become the conference champions.

Saint Mary’s finished the season 11-5 in the West Coast Conference and lost to Gonzaga 84-66 in the WCC semifinal game.

The Gaels average 64 points per game and shoot 42% on the season.

They are led by the backcourt of junior Logan Johnson and redshirt senior Tommy Kuhse, who average 14 and 13 points, respectively. The big man down low, Mathias Tass, averaged 10 points and six rebounds while shooting 50% for the year. Saint Mary’s finished the season last in offense and first in defense in the WCC.

WKU and Saint Mary’s both participated in the Bad Boy Mowers Classic at the beginning of the year but didn’t get to face each other in the tournament due to the Gaels losing in the first round.

The last time WKU received an invite to the NIT was in 2018 when the Hilltoppers beat Boston College, USC and Oklahoma State before heading to Madison Square Garden where they faced Utah in the semifinals and lost 69-64.

The Hilltoppers will play 8 p.m.

Wednesday in Frisco, Texas, and the contest will be broadcasted on ESPN2.

WKU is a No. 3 seeded team in the NIT and Saint Mary’s is a No. 2 seeded team.

Men’s basketball beat reporter Kaden Gaylord can be reached at kaden.gaylord559@topper.wku.edu.

Follow Kaden on Twitter at @_KLG3.

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12 SPORTS

Week of March 16, 2021

Hilltopper baseball claims first clean sweep

By Wyatt Sparkman

The WKU baseball program (8-7) began an eight-game homestand over the weekend against Bowling Green State. The Hilltoppers claimed their first sweep of the season over the Falcons outscoring them 28 to 21.

“I told them today it would be another challenge, another dogfight, and it certainly was and credit to our offense,” head coach John Pawlowski said of the game. “Our offense did an unbelievable job today, and I’m very proud of what they did and how they handled themselves today.”

Senior Ray Zuberer III was the Hilltoppers most consistent batter this weekend slashing for .533. He finished the weekend with eight hits, seven RBIs, and a homerun on Saturday. On Monday he was named C-USA Hitter of the Week.

On Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m., the Hilltoppers play a midweek game against Bellarmine.

The Knights come to WKU with a 3-10 record after being swept by Kennesaw State over the weekend.

“We will have an opportunity to play Tuesday and to practice on Tuesday

prior to the game and definitely a lot of things to work on, but I like the fact that we had a chance to win four games, and we did,” Pawlowski said.

This weekend the Hilltoppers will close out their homestand with a threegame series against Valparaiso (3-7).

Last season the Hilltoppers began the 2020 season against Valpo claiming a 2-1 series win. Overall WKU is 5-2 all-time against the Crusaders coming into the weekend series.

Game one against the Crusaders will be Friday at 5 p.m. with the starting pitcher still to be announced ahead of the contest. So far this season, redshirt sophomore Jake Kates has been getting the nod to start a weekend series.

Junior Sean Bergeron is another pitcher who has been a regular starting pitcher for WKU this season. Between Bergeron and Kates, the dominant pitching duo has combined for 50 strikeouts this season.

Games two and three this weekend are both slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Fans can watch all three games on the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network Facebook page.

MEGAN FISHER

WKU outfielder Jackson Gray (51) swings at a pitch during the game against the Bowling Green Falcons at Nick Denes Field on March 14. WKU won 17-16.

MEGAN FISHER WKU infielder Jack Wilson (9) gets Bowling Green State University sophomore Anthony Toma (35) out during the game at Nick Denes Field on March 14.

WKU has one more non-conference game to play against No.10 Louisville prior to the first Conference USA game of the spring.

On March 23, the Hilltoppers will play Louisville, with the first pitch at 5 p.m. CT. Last season WKU was supposed to play the Cardinals at the Bowling Green Ballpark on March 24 before the season was postponed.

The Hilltoppers will then host Char-

lotte three days after playing Louisville March 26-28 for a four-game series.

As of Sunday, the 49ers are (8-6) after a series with No. 14 East Carolina.

Charlotte was swept by the Pirates in a three-game series.

Baseball beat reporter Wyatt Sparkman can be reached at steve. sparkman280@topper.wku.edu. Follow Wyatt on Twitter at @WyattSparkman3

ZANE MEYER-THORNTON

WKU sophomore pitcher Mason Vinyard and catcher Hunter Evans hug after securing a 3-1 victory over the Bowling Green State University Falcons on March 13, 2021.