Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Nov. 18:
Volleyball: Alexandra Morgan
Junior Alexandra Morgan was simply a game-changer in helping lead UK to a four-set victory over Georgia on Senior Day. Morgan posted a career-high 10 blocks which easily is also the highest mark of the season for any Wildcat. She is the first UK player to tally 10 or more rejections in a match since 2010 when Lauren Rapp had 10 blocks in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to the 10 rejections she also had a team-high three aces and contributed four digs which is the second-highest total for the junior this season behind her career-high of five. She was one kill off a double-double effort with nine hammers on a blazing .400 hitting percentage. With the 10 blocks she now pushes her season average to above one with 1.02 blocks per frame.
Men’s basketball: Nerlens Noel
Freshman Nerlens Noel had a coming out party in front of a national audience against No. 9 Duke. Noel had his first-career double-figure point effort with 16 points while adding a team-high eight rebounds. He notched a game-high four steals and added three blocks to his stat line. He added career-high numbers at the line with 6-of-8 free throws. Against Lafayette, he was the spark to the Wildcats’ effort with countless hustle plays that resulted in four steals and four assists in helping UK top the century mark for the first time since the opening game of the 2011-12 season. Noel added 15 points, his second-straight double-figure effort, and again led UK in rebounds with seven. The four assists and four steals were both career high tallies. His 6-of-8 performance from the field highlighted UK’s .645 shooting from the field as a team which was the highest clip under fourth-year head coach John Calipari and the best clip for any UK team since 2008.
Men’s basketball: Alex Poythress
Freshman Alex Poythress exploded for back-to-back 20-point efforts in helping lead UK to a 1-1 week. Poythress had 20 points and added a team-high eight rebounds in a loss to No. 9 Duke. He then topped that performance with a 9-10 night from the field for a career-high 22 points. He added his first career block and first career steal in the victory. The .900 field goal percentage led the team which turned in a .645 percentage – the highest field goal clip under John Calipari. The .900 clip was the third best individual performance in the Calipari era. He also becomes the first freshman since Brandon Knight in Feb. 2011 to have consecutive 20-point efforts.
Volleyball: Kayla Tronick
Freshman Kayla Tronick provided a spark off the bench for the Wildcats in helping UK down Georgia on Senior Day. Tronick did not play in the opening set, but came out midway through the second frame and struck for seven kills on a match-high .417 hitting clip to become one of five UK players to tally five or more kills in the victory. The kills and hitting percentage both ranked the second-best of the senior for the year first-year player, outside of her only career start against Ole Miss earlier this season. Tronick also added a block and just her second-career assist.
