The University of Kentucky volleyball team clinched a berth in the upcoming SEC Tournament with a 3-1 victory over the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in Memorial Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 7. The win moved the Cats to 14-12 overall and 6-8 in the Southeastern Conference.
Freshman Melissa Popp and junior Sarah Spinner led the Cats with 21 kills, while both had double-doubles with 13 and 12 digs, respectively. Freshman Jenni Casper led all players in the game in digs with 23 on the evening. Middle blocker Amy Kaplan had a solid defensive showing with a career-best 10 digs and four blocks.
In the first stanza Kentucky got off to a slow start trailing Tennessee 9-4 early in the game. UT?s offensive play would keep the Wildcats at bay for the majority of the game. A kill by Danielle Wallace would cut the Vols? lead down to four, 22-18, forcing a timeout. A Sissy Canfield kill would spark a three-point run, bringing the Cats within two points. Three consecutive plays would give Kentucky its first lead of the game at 27-26. On .327 hitting, Kentucky would prove victorious in the first game by a score of 30- 28.
A 6-0 run put the Volunteers 8-1 early in game two. A Canfield block would put an end to a four-point UT run with the score at 12-6. The Wildcats would later begin to chip away at a 10-point deficit with a three-point run at 20-13. Spinner?s fourth kill in the game would bring Kentucky within three at 21-18, but ball errors would prevent the Cats from taking control and they would lose the second battle, 30-23.
An all-out battle was brewing in game three as the Cats and the Vols would battle for control of the game. A kill by Canfield would give Kentucky a lead at 17-15, but Tennessee would answer with back-to-back plays knotting the score for the 12th time. UK scored three consecutive points lengthening its lead by four points at 22-18. Later, the Vols pulled within two forcing a Wildcat timeout, but Popp and Kaplan would combine for a block that would seal the win for the Kentucky, 30-28.
The opening of the fourth match belonged to the Big Blue with six quick unanswered points. Ball errors would allow the Volunteers to get back into the game, 20-19. A Liz McCaslin kill at 25-22 would force Tennessee to take a timeout. Kentucky?s dynamic offensive team play would outlast UT the rest of the way as Spinner showed up with three consecutive plays to clinch the game victory, 30-26.
The victory was Kentucky?s first over Tennessee sine the 2000 season and moved its all-time series advantage to 35-19. The game marked the first time this season that the Wildcats secured a victory after being out-hit by their opponent as UT posted a .226 hitting percentage to UK?s .213.
The Wildcats return to action as they head to Louisville to take on the Lady Cardinals on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Cardinal Arena. The match will be televised on the Louisville-area Fox affiliate, WFTE-58.
