Wilson’s Errorless .529 Night Steers No. 12 Kentucky Past Miss. St.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Thanks to nine kills and no errors from senior outside hitter Megan Wilson, the No. 12 Kentucky Volleyball team ran its win streak to a season-high nine matches Wednesday night with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-11) sweep of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

With the win, Kentucky now sits on the doorstep of clinching a share of its eighth-straight Southeastern Conference championship, as the Wildcats need to win one of their final two matches to get a share of the title – and both to win it outright. UK will play its final regular season home match inside Historic Memorial Coliseum on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Sunday will also be Senior Day. Beginning at 3:45 p.m. ET the six Kentucky seniors, Eleanor Beavin, Delaney Hogan, Emma Grome, Megan Wilson, Erin Lamb and Lane Jenkins will be honored on-court.

Wilson hit a career-high .529 on the night with her nine kills coming on only 17 swings as the transfer also logged a Southeastern Conference season high five blocks in the process, as she scored a season-high 11.5 points for the Wildcats. The Kentucky offense was as balanced as its been all season Wednesday night, as six players tallied five or more kills in the match to make its team hitting percentage of .337 sparkle in the Historic Memorial Coliseum lighting.

Emma Grome had 37 assists in the sweep we Kentucky talked 45 kills as a team with Grome also sprinkling in a service ace, seven digs and a block. The Wildcats as a team hit .337 with four of its top six attackers hitting over .450 on the night.

In the backcourt, Molly Tuozzo had 12 digs to lead all players in the match and Brooklyn DeLeye notched 10 digs in the match to be the second Wildcat in double figures on the defensive end.  The Wildcats defense held Mississippi State to a .085 hitting percentage for the match with the Bulldogs held to negative in the third set at -.065.

Set One

Thanks to a 4-0 service run buoyed by Brooklyn DeLeye and a crushed overpass from freshman Brooke Bultema, Kentucky raced out to a quick 12-5 lead and with Kentucky having opened up a then-set high lead of seven, Mississippi State burned its first timeout. The UK offense continued to click at a high rate, hitting the ball with a .450 efficiency as it took a 19-10 lead and following a solo stuff by DeLeye on the left side for the Wildcats third block of the set, Mississippi State burned its final timeout trailing by eight. Jordyn Dailey closed the opening set with her second kill of the match on a sideout from the right pin to give Kentucky a 1-0 lead thanks to a 25-17 opening set. UK hit .379 in the frame with Asia Thigpen’s five kills leading the way and a block, added to her total.

Set Two

Kentucky came out of the gates storming in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead thanks to Brooklyn DeLeye and Brooke Bultema’s kills as the Wildcats took a commanding advantage to start the second. Mississippi State took a 12-10 lead in the midsection of the set, the Bulldogs only advantage of the night in any of the three sets before a 5-0 run anchored by Emma Grome’s serves pushed Mississippi State into a timeout with Kentucky leading, 16-13. Megan Wilson then took over offensively for the Wildcats as she had no errors through two sets and senior Erin Lamb’s kill in her return to the court ended the second set, 25-20.

Set Three

Megan Wilson’s domination at the offensive end took shape in the third set as Kentucky jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set and ran away from the Bulldogs. A huge stuff by Wilson and Bultema on the right pin pushed the Kentucky lead to 13-5 and going into a timeout, the Wildcats led by eight. UK steadied its offense, as balanced attack led the way home as Kentucky clinched a 25-11 final set win and a sweep.

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