Tuozzo’s Smothering Defense Propels No. 3 Kentucky Past Vandy
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Thanks to 14 digs by Molly Tuozzo and a smothering defensive effort that held Vanderbilt to .108 hitting on the night, the No. 3 Kentucky Volleyball team swept the Commodores 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-21) on Friday night inside Memorial Coliseum.
The win now sets up what will be the match of the season in NCAA Volleyball on Sunday afternoon as the 10-0 Kentucky Wildcats will face the 11-1 No. 2 Texas Longhorns with first place on the line at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin. The match will be televised on ESPN with Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak and Madison Fitzpatrick on the call. No. 2 Texas was defeated for the first time this season Friday night in a 3-2 loss at No. 9 Texas A&M in Reed Arena. UK is now in sole possession of first place in the SEC for the first time this season.
Tuozzo had 14 digs Friday night to lead all players in the match as Eva Hudson also tallied a double-double with 11 digs and 14 kills to her name in the match as the senior from Ft. Wayne, Indiana hit .520 for the match with three stuff blocks, as well. Brookyln DeLeye kept her streak of double-figure kills matches alive as she led Kentucky with 16 kills on 35 swings with three digs, two aces and an assist in the match.
Kassie O’Brien steered the Kentucky offense to the tune of a .354 hitting percentage and .441 in the third set alone as UK only registered 10 hitting errors all night with O’Brien credited with 37 assists Friday and kills on three of her four attacks, two aces, five digs and a team-high six blocks. Kentucky’s middle attackers were incredibly efficient Friday night as Washington had four kills and no errors, Lizzie Carr collected four kills with no errors, and opposite Asia Thigpen logged four kills and a block, as well.
UK is now 16-2 on the season. Vanderbilt, who is led by former Kentucky Associate Head Coach Anders Nelson, is now 5-15 this year, its first back in volleyball and 1-10 in league action. 2020 NCAA National Champion Azhani Tealer, who is an assistant coach for UK also returned to Historic Memorial Coliseum on Friday night to a hero’s welcome.
Set 1
Kentucky hit .237 and held Vanderbilt to .000 attacking in the opening set to climb out to a 1-0 lead with a 25-13 first set victory. The Wildcats came out of the gates strong with a 10-5 lead through the opening 15 points of the set and as UK’s lead grew to five, Vanderbilt called for its first timeout of the match. Kentucky used its strong service pressure to make the lead seven halfway through the set following back-to-back kills from Eva Hudson, and VU used its second timeout trailing the Wildcats by seven at 16-9 . Molly Tuozzo recorded eight digs in the set as Kentucky’s defense took control of the set to make things 19-9 and then the Wildcats closed the set on a 7-3 run to take the opener, 25-13. DeLeye had six kill to lead all players and Hudson had five kills on 12 swings with Kassie O’Brien tallying 11 assists on 13 of Kentucky’s terminations in the set.
Set 2
Kentucky won the second set 25-16 to take a two sets to none lead in the match. The Commodores hung with the Wildcats in the early portion of the set, as a successful challenge by VU squared things at 8-8 before Kentucky would run off five points in a row to send Vandy into a timeout with Kentucky leading 13-8 just about halfway through the frame. A sensational kill by Brookyln DeLeye out of system followed by a termination off the opposite Asia Thigpen’s hands sent Kentucky into a 19-11 lead, and with UK ahead by a set-high eight points, Vandy called its final timeout of the set. Kentucky then rode the arm of DeLeye to arrive at set point at 24-12, and with the lead sitting at a dozen points before the Commodores ran off four-straight points to make things 24-16 with Eva Hudson ending the set on a fiery kill off the left pin to close out the frame. Kentucky was hitting .318 through the first two sets of the match with Vanderbilt hitting exactly .000 at 16 kills and 16 errors on their 70 swings for the match. Kassie O’Brien had 22 assists through the first two with DeLeye leading the offensive attack at 12 kills on 25 swings for the night. Molly Tuozzo had 12 digs for Kentucky to lead all players in the match.
Set 3
The third set was the tightest of the night with Kentucky and Vanderbilt duking it out point for point in the beginning stages of the set as Vandy took its first lead at 3-2 and Kentucky unable to create much separation. UK had to call its only timeout of the night as Vandy ran off four-straight points to make things 15 all as the Wildcats came to the bench to talk things over. Kentucky then fired off five of the next six points to begin to separate itself from VU and Kentucky arrived at set point leading 24-20 and after a Commodore sideout, a kill by Kennedy Washington out of the middle, her fourth of the night with no errors, closed out the match as Kentucky put the exclamation point on a its second-straight sweep.
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