No. 11 Cats Travel to No. 23 Mizzou with Chance to Clinch Share of SEC Title

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 11 Kentucky volleyball team will have a chance to clinch a share of the Southeastern Conference title on Sunday on the road at 4 p.m. ET when it meets with No. 23 Missouri for the second time this season.
 
The match is set to be broadcast live on SEC Network inside Mizzou Arena.
 
UK is coming off its eighth-straight sweep, a 3-0 blanking of Arkansas on the road. The Wildcats compiled a hitting percentage above .300 for the third consecutive match with .390 against the Razorbacks and limited Arkansas to just .133.
 
UK is still at the top of the Southeastern Conference with a two-match advantage, leading the league in hitting percentage at .299, which ranks sixth in the nation, assists with 13.02 and kills per set at 14.26, good enough for 13th in the country.
 
SCOUTING MISSOURI
The Tigers enter the match having won 10 of their last 12, most recently coming up short in four sets at home against No. 22 Tennessee on Wednesday. Sunday marks the second meeting between the two teams this season, the Wildcats won in four in Lexington on Sep. 30 with their best defensive effort of the season. Missouri ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage (.261), opponent hitting percentage (.170) and blocks (2.70) while coming in at third in kills (13.51). Alyssa Munlyn ranks third behind Brooke Morgan in the conference with a .388 hitting clip for the season while posting 137 total blocks for a 1.30 average per set, good enough for second overall. Kylie Deberg is in the top 10 in kills in the league with 3.55 per set in eighth place and ranks second in service aces with 0.51 and 105 in total. Tyanna Omazic also is inside the top 10 in blocks with 1.07 per set.
 
EYEING ANOTHER CONFERNECE TITLE
With a win over the Tigers on Sunday, the Wildcats will clinch a share of the SEC Title, it’s seventh in program history and first time winning in back-to-back seasons since 1987-1988.
 
FASTEST TO 1,000, CHASING RECORDS
Leah Edmond (1,391) needs three kills to pass Whitney Billings (1,393) for first all-time in program history in the rally-scoring era and to move into the top four all-time. Molly Dresibach leads all-time with 1,737.
 
Leah Edmond became the quickest Wildcat in team history to reach 1,000 kills. She did so in the first match of the season – the loss to No. 13 Creighton. Edmond surpassed Lauren O’Conner (2011-14) for second all-time in kills during the 25-point rally scoring era.
 
SEC WEEKLY AWARDS
Madison Lilley
Player of the Week (11/12)
Averaged more than 13 assists per set (13.17) in sweeps of Mississippi State and Alabama with 79 total assists and guided the Wildcats to a .335 hitting clip over both matches, including rally-scoring era program records for kills (62) and hitting percentage (.350) against Alabama. The Overland Park, Kansas, native also posted 2.67 digs per set and 1.5 kills per set for the week
 
Player of the Week (10/15)
Led both matches in assists and averaged 13.50 assists per set. The sophomore directed the UK offense to 16.86 kills per set and a .352 hitting clip over its two matches against Tennessee and Ole Miss. In addition to posting a career-high six kills against the Volunteers, the setter came up just one dig shy of her sixth double-double and reached a career-best four aces. In the four-setter, Lilley guided the UK offense to a .398 hitting percentage and 64 total kills.
 
SEC Co-Setter of the Week (11/5)
Held match highs in assists for both sweeps and picked up 73 in total. The sophomore averaged more than 12 assists (12.17) per set and one block each frame in sweeps of Ole Miss and No. 11 Florida. She posted five blocks against Ole Miss, her most against a conference opponent this season and one short of her career best.
 
Setter of the Week (10/22)
Lilley picked up back-to-back double-doubles in week eight. The setter posted career-high digs in both matches with 16 against LSU and bettered the number with 19 against Texas A&M, which led to a 4.38 average per set for the week. Lilley accumulated 51 assists against the Aggies – her fifth match with 50 or more assists – and five blocks, which is just one from her career high. She posted 30 assists, two blocks and an ace in the win over LSU. Guided by Lilley, UK had four players average 2.00 kills per set or better.
 
Setter of the Week (10/1)
Totaled 83 assists (11.80 per set), 20 digs (2.86 per set), and five blocks. The sophomore put up her fifth double-double of the season and third in the last four matches after accumulating 45 assists and a career-high 16 digs against Missouri.
 
Co-Setter of the Week (9/24)
Put up her fourth double-double of 2018 – her second in as many matches – with 41 assists and 10 digs in the win over Tennessee.
 
Setter of the Week  (9/4)
Named to the All-Tournament team for the Bluegrass Battle, helping guide the Wildcats to their best hitting percentage of the season in the sweep of Dayton (.451) and jump to the top spot in the conference. Her 57 assists in the four-set win against Charleston is her season high and ranks second in the conference only behind Morgan Kath of Mississippi State, who took five sets to grab 63 against Davidson. Averaged 12.25 assists per set with 1.25 digs per set and 10 total blocks.
 
Gabby Curry
Player of the Week (11/5)
Averaged more than five digs (5.17) per set for the week in sweeps of Ole Miss and No. 11 Florida, including helping UK’s defense suppress Ole Miss on the road with a match-high 22 digs, just one from her career best. The UK defense limited both Florida and Ole Miss to hitting clips below .199.
 
Defensive Player of the Week (11/12)
Averaged seven digs per set and posted only one reception error in 30 attempts in sweeps of Mississippi State and Alabama, led both matches in digs and her 20 digs against the Crimson Tide fueled UK to its second-highest dig total (61) in a three-set match in the rally-scoring era, just one from the program record.
 
Leah Edmond
Player of the Week (10/1)
Totaling 41 kills (5.86 per set) on 88 swings for a .330 hitting percentage during UK’s wins over Arkansas and Missouri. The junior’s 26 terminations against Missouri matched her career-high total, ranked third in the SEC this season and was the most kills of any individual in the conference in a single match for week five.
 
Player of the Week (9/4)
Totaled 59 kills (4.92 per set), on 121 swings for a .339 hitting percentage during UK’s home-opening Bluegrass Battle. The junior also added 23 digs, six blocks, and two aces to grab MVP honors for the tournament.
 
Alli Stumler
SEC Freshman of the Week (9/24)
Registered her second career double-double and her sixth match with at least 10 kills when she posted 10 kills and a career-best 14 digs in the win over the Vols. She also notched a then-career-high three aces to contribute to UK’s second-best serving effort of six total aces.
 
WILDCATS CRUISE TO SWEEP OF NO. 11 FLORIDA
UK took complete control of the SEC, jumping into a two-match lead after a dominating 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-20) sweep of No. 11 Florida. The Wildcats matched their longest win streak under Craig Skinner of 14.
 
Junior Leah Edmond came alive with eight kills in the second set alone on a .471 attacking clip. She concluded the night with a match-high 16 kills and a team-high 10 digs for her 19th career double-double and the second of the season. She also contributed two blocks and an ace in the win. Sophomore setter Madison Lilley directed the UK offense to the tune of 33 assists and a .274 hitting percentage. She added a pair of kills, nine digs and an ace to the winning cause.
 
For the 13th-consecutive match, Kentucky’s defense was stout. The league-leader in opponent hitting percentage, the Cats limited Florida to a mere .104 attacking percentage marking the 13th straight foe to be limited to a .199 attacking clip or lower. Senior Brooke Morgan led the Wildcats in blocking with four rejections on the night. She also added five kills on a .455 attacking percentage and a match-high two aces.
 
Freshman Alli Stumler performed on the biggest stage with eight kills, seven digs and a block. Sophomore Kendyl Paris was a force to help set the tone in the opening set. Paris had four kills in the frame and finished the night with five on a team-high .556 clip. She also added a pair of blocks. Junior Caitlyn Cooper chipped in with four kills, two blocks and two digs. Sophomore libero Gabby Curry and freshman defensive specialist Lauren Tharp each had nine digs to aid the defensive cause.
 
WILDCATS SWEEP GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
The Wildcats remained perfect in conference play and at home after sweeping Georgia and South Carolina in week nine. The UK defense was strong as the Wildcats held both opponents to a combined .095 hitting clip and just 9.33 kills per set. Brooke Morgan picked up a match-high six blocks in each contest for a 2.00 average per set for the week while Caitlyn Cooper compiled a .346 hitting clip for the week with 12 kills on 26 attempts and just three errors on the offensive side of the net. Gabby Curry led both matches in digs, averaging 4.83 for the week with 17 against Georgia and 12 against South Carolina. Leah Edmond got involved on defense in addition to her nine kills against the Bulldogs. The junior pieced together four blocks, her most in a conference match this season. Setter Madison Lilley guided UK to a .323 hitting clip for the week, posting 30 or more assists in both matches and a 10.67 average per set for the week. Kendyl Paris and Alli Stumler also contributed to the defensive effort with Paris picking up eight in total during the week and Stumler grabbing six rejections – five of which came against South Carolina in a career-matching effort.
 
UK DEFEATS LSU, TEXAS A&M TO CLAIM FIRST IN SEC STANDINGS
The Wildcats won both matches during their week-eight road swing, sweeping LSU and coming back in five sets against Texas A&M. Madison Lilley posted back-to-back double-doubles, including matching her career-high dig total at LSU then setting a new personal best of 19 against Texas A&M.
 
Against LSU, the Wildcats had 44 kills on an efficient .327 hitting percentage with four players having more than 19 attempts on the night. Junior Leah Edmond and senior Brooke Morgan both had 10 kills to lead the way. Lilley dished out 30 assists and had a career-high-tying 16 digs as her play defensively was equally as important to UK’s winning cause.
 
Sophomore libero Gabby Curry topped the 20-dig plateau for the second-consecutive three-set match with 21 digs in the win to lead the defensive charge. She contributed five assists. Kentucky’s defense smothered LSU into just 10.33 kills per frame and a .090 hitting clip.
 
Freshman Alli Stumler chipped in with seven kills and five digs. Junior Caitlyn Cooper added six hammers, two blocks and a dig. Sophomore Kendyl Paris had four kills on a .429 hitting percentage, while classmate Avery Skinner chipped in with an additional four kills.
 
Freshman Lauren Tharp added four digs and senior McKenzie Watson totaled a trio of scoops to add to the defensive effort.
The sprinkling of effort displayed by a variety of players in the fifth set against Texas A&M mirrored the production throughout the entire match as it was a total team effort.
 
Edmond led the way offensively with a match-high 23 kills. She also contributed seven digs and a block. Cooper and Morgan both struck for 10 kills apiece. Cooper added five blocks, while Morgan picked up four digs and a trio of blocks. Lilley had another all-around effort with 51 assists to go along with a career-high and match-high 19 digs. She’s boasted consecutive matches with career-high digs.
 
Paris had six kills and a match-best seven blocks. Stumler totaled four kills and nine digs. Skinner posted five hammers with a dig and a block apiece. Tharp had a career-high 13 digs and Curry corralled 19 scoops.
 
UK GETS 900TH PROGRAM VICTORY
The Wildcats picked up their 900th win in program history after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers in Memorial Coliseum, 3-1. Four Wildcats recorded double-digit kills in the win: Leah Edmond (17), Caitlyn Cooper (13), Alli Stumler (13) and Brooke Morgan (10). Cooper’s career-high .684 hitting clip was the new team-best percentage. Madison Lilley posted a career-high, team-best four aces in the win and was just one dig shy of a double-double. Gabby Curry led the defensive effort with a match-high 17 digs.
 
UK IN THE RPI
UK has faced a tough slate already this season and has been rewarded with a top-10 RPI at No. 9. The Wildcats have already faced two schools with top-10 RPIs – both on the road – in No. 5 Texas and No. 6 Southern California and eight others in the top 30 in 15th-ranked Northern Iowa, No. 16 Creighton, No. 21 Florida, No. 25 Texas State, No. 28 Kansas, No. 26 South Carolina, No. 28 Tennessee, No. 29 Kansas and No. 30 Missouri.
 
WILDCATS SWEEP MISSISSIPPI STATE
UK improved to 4-0 in the conference and got its seventh win in a row after sweeping Mississippi State on the road in its only test of the week. UK posted its best hitting clip of the season (.537), which ranks first in the SEC, and held the Bulldogs to the lowest percentage of any opponent this season (.068). Brooke Morgan led the UK attack by going a perfect 9 for 9, swinging 1.000 for the match. She also added three blocks, two digs and an ace. Sophomore setter Madison Lilley posted a season-best three aces for the second time in UK’s second-best performance from behind the service line to date. Freshman Alli Stumler added eight kills – six in the first set – on 12 total swings to go along with five digs, two assists and a block. 
 
CATS DOWN ARKANSAS, MISSOURI
The Wildcats picked up wins over Arkansas and Missouri during their SEC home-opening weekend. Brooke Morgan led the Wildcats to a sweep over Arkansas, matching her career-high in kills with 15 and setting a new personal best in hitting percentage (.583) against Arkansas to go along with four digs and two blocks. Leah Edmond added 10 kills, while Caitlyn Cooper added nine on a .500 attacking clip. Madison Lilley dished out 38 assists and added four digs and two blocks while Gabby Curry led the defensive effort from the back row with 13 digs.
 
UK’s serving and defense led it to a four-set win over Missouri. The Wildcats racked up 11 aces, the most ever for a four-set match in the 25-point rally-scoring era, and had a season-high 15 blocks to prove the difference in a well-played match by both teams. Kendyl Paris, Lauren Tharp and Cooper broke out for career performances defensively. Paris had a career-best 10 blocks, while Tharp had a career-high nine digs. Cooper picked up a career-best six blocks and added eight kills to the offensive effort. Paris is the eighth different Wildcat to register 10 or more blocks in program history during the rally-scoring era.
 
Sophomore setter Madison Lilley and classmate libero Gabby Curry also contributed to the stellar defensive effort. Lilley had her fifth double-double of the season – third in the last four matches – with 45 assists and a career-high 16 digs. Curry contributed 13 digs, five assists and a pair of aces.
 
Every Wildcat who plays in the front row boasted at least three blocks in the match.
 
Junior outside hitter Leah Edmond once again led the way offensively with a career-high tying 26 kills. It matched her own four-set 25-point rally scoring era record for kills in a match. She’s posted 20 or more kills 19 times in her career, more than any other player in the rally-scoring era in UK annals. Alli Stumler added 12 kills and 10 digs for her third double-double of the year and second in three matches. Senior Brooke Morgan contributed seven kills, a career-high and team-best three aces to go along with a trio of blocks. Classmate McKenzie Watson added three digs, one assist and an ace to aid the winning effort.
 
UK OPENS SEC SLATE WITH WIN AT TENNESSEE
The Wildcats are coming off their first conference win of the season at Tennessee. UK held its third-consecutive opponent to a hitting percentage below .185. Sophomore Setter Madison Lilley (41 digs, 10 assists) and freshman outside hitter Alli Stumler (10 kills, 14 digs) both picked up double-doubles, their fourth and second of the season, respectively. Stumler also picked up a career-high three aces and added three blocks. Brooke Morgan totaled a career-high eight blocks and Leah Edmond notched her third 20+ kill match of the season with 23 terminations against the Vols. UK came back from as many as an 18-12 deficit in the fourth set, ending the frame on a 13-5 run to claim the match.
 
UK SWEEPS LOUISVILLE, CHATTANOOGA
The Wildcats swept both of their opponents in week three. UK picked up its sixth straight win over rival Louisville in a commanding three-set win on the road. Leah Edmond posted the highest hitting percentage of her career in the win, swinging .600 with 14 kills – her second most in a three-set match this season – on 20 total attacks. Sophomore libero Gabby Curry also totaled a career-high seven assists in the win, while Brooke Morgan and Madison Lilley both registered three aces each, which is the top mark on the team for 2018. Lilley grabbed her third double-double of the season after putting up 28 assists and 10 digs in the home win against Chattanooga and led UK to back-to-back hitting percentages above .400. The Wildcats held both teams to hitting percentages less than .110.
 
TEXAS TRIP RECAP
UK split road matches in a loss at No. 6 Texas and a win at Texas State – both in four sets. The Wildcats posted their then-second-best hitting clip (.333) and kill total (66) of the season in the win. Leah Edmond picked up 39 kills (4.88/set) on the trip with her second-highest single-match total (24) coming in the win at Texas State, and Caitlyn Cooper came off the bench, making an immediate impact to ultimately finish second on the team with 14 kills on 24 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage with three blocks and three digs in an all-around career effort.
 
BLUEGRASS BATTLE
The Wildcats rebounded nicely from the first week of the season and by going undefeated during the second weekend when they took down College of Charleston, Dayton, and Kansas for the Bluegrass Battle title. UK posted its highest kill total of the season (70) in a swift four-set win over Charleston and its best hitting clip of the season (.451) just hours later in a commanding sweep of Dayton. Saturday’s match with Kansas was another comeback in Memorial Coliseum after the Wildcats looked like a completely different team in the final three sets.
 
PICKED TO WIN THE LEAGUE
Kentucky received eight of the league’s 13 first-place votes and finished atop the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 140 points. Florida garnered the remaining five first-place votes and finished in second with 137. Missouri trails both schools with 116 points, while Georgia and LSU round out the top five.
 
PRESEASON ALL-SEC
Leah Edmond, Madison Lilley and Avery Skinner were named Preseason All-SEC. No school other than Kentucky placed multiple athletes on the preseason All-SEC team. Edmond makes her second appearance on the preseason list after garnering All-SEC honors in each of her first two seasons. Lilley, a first-team selection a season ago, and Skinner, an All-SEC Freshman Team pick last year, were selected for the first time in their careers. All 13 of the league’s head coaches vote in each poll.
 
BEST PRESEASON RANKING EVER
For a program-record seventh-consecutive year, the Kentucky volleyball team began the season ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s preseason top 25. With the ranking of No. 5, UK tied its highest mark in program history and its highest preseason ranking ever. UK had never appeared in the preseason top 10 before.
 
Kentucky’s spot at No. 5 marks the highest ever under head coach Craig Skinner. UK reached No. 6 in the country last season and finished the 2017 final poll at that mark. The Wildcats have now appeared in the top-25 preseason poll for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
 
ACADEMIC AWARDS
For the fourth-consecutive season, the Kentucky volleyball program earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award honoring its work in the classroom for the 2017-18 season. UK reached the 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average in each semester during the school year. During the latest semester, the team posted a GPA of 3.418. In the fall, UK had an impressive in-season GPA of 3.654.
 
REPRESENTING THE USA
Five Wildcats – Gabby Curry, Leah Edmond, Madison Lilley, Brooke Morgan and Avery Skinner – represented the United States of America for various U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Teams last summer. Lilley made the CNT – China Tour, Edmond and Skinner played on the CNT – Europe team while Morgan and Curry made one of the CNT – Detroit teams. All of the athletes were placed on teams through the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Tryouts at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
 
ALL-AMERICANS RETURNING
Kentucky returns two AVCA All-Americans in Leah Edmond and Madison Lilley. Edmond was First Team All-America and the program’s third appearance on the first team and first under head coach Craig Skinner. Lilley was Second Team All-America.
 
UK had two other All-Americans in Kaz Brown and Ashley Dusek. UK has placed four All-Americans just one other time in program history.
 
ANOTHER STRONG RECRUITING CLASS 
For the last eight seasons, Kentucky’s recruiting class has been ranked in the top 30. UK welcomes four freshman newcomers – Gabby Goddard, Cameron Scheitzach, Alli Stumler and Lauren Tharp – and also added JUCO transfer Caitlyn Cooper.
 
SEC CHAMPIONS AND ELITE EIGHT APPEARANCE
Kentucky finished the year 29-4 and won a share of the SEC Championship for the first time in Craig Skinner’s tenure and also advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in the modern era a season ago. The Wildcats earned their then-highest ranking under Skinner, No. 6, and beat the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time in school history.
 
300 WINS
In Kentucky’s first round win over East Tennessee State in last year’s NCAA Tournament, UK head coach Craig Skinner earned his 300th win. Skinner is already Kentucky’s winningest coach in program history.