Fischer, Bell Play Big Roles for Volleyball Cats on Saturday

The second-ranked Kentucky volleyball team entered Saturday’s match against Auburn down one player, as freshman Reagan Rutherford did not dress due to an ankle injury. Then, early in the match, UK senior Avery Skinner went down, also with an ankle injury.

That forced UK head coach Craig Skinner to play some unfamiliar faces early and often in Saturday’s match. And those new faces, combined with steady junior Alli Stumler, led the Cats to an easy, three-set sweep of the Tigers on Saturday at Memorial Coliseum.

Kentucky (5-0) got 18 kills from Stumler, who hit .390 with only two errors on 41 swings. That was not unexpected from one of the best players in the country.

What was unexpected was the contributions of redshirt freshman Bella Bell and true freshman Sophie Fischer, who both had breakout matches on Saturday.

Fischer, who came to Kentucky as one of the top recruits in the nation, got into a match as Missouri last week, but saw her first significant playing time on Saturday. And she survived her first test with flying colors.

The Fort Mill, South Carolina, native had eight kills with just two errors on 13 swings (.462). Fischer treated Saturday’s match the same way she treats every day.

“(UK head coach) Craig (Skinner) prepares each practice like a game and everything is super competitive, so it wasn’t that different,” Fischer said. “It was more of a reality check that I was actually in (the match) than a competition check.”

Skinner was pleased with Fischer’s ability to take advantage of her 6-5 frame.

“Sophie just really takes advantage of her play above the net and height,” Skinner said. “It’s amazing some of the kills she gets in certain situations. Great job by her.”

Bell entered in the second set and played so well Skinner had to keep her in the match. The Blythewood, South Carolina, native notched the first six kills of her UK career with just one error on 10 swings (.500). Like Fischer, Bell came into a tough situation after Avery Skinner’s injury.

“This type of stuff doesn’t seem to phase (Fischer and Bell,” Skinner said. “Bella is very physical, very strong, hits the ball hard. So when Madison (Lilley) is able to get her swings in the right spots, she’s very terminal.”

Fischer and Bell were club volleyball teammates and Fischer liked that the two South Carolinians each had breakout matches on Saturday.

“I’ve known her for a little bit now. We’re super close. That was kind of cool for us to be front row (together),” Fischer said. “I feel comfortable with all my teammates, but with and Bella being so close, I felt a little more comfortable.”

Stumler enjoyed seeing Bell and Fischer have big matches on Saturday.

“It’s so easy to get excited for those two because they work so hard, day in and day out,” Stumler said. “It’s awesome to see them succeed.”

It also gives opponents two more options to prepare for when facing the Cats.

“I think it was obviously just good to show what depth we have on our team,” Stumler said. “We all feel comfortable, no matter who came in, we had multiple people off the bench and we are so comfortable playing with each other. That shows the true character of our team.”

With Bell and Fischer proving that they can step up on Saturday, Kentucky continues to show that it has a ton of depth. That bodes well for the Cats as the season progresses.