Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Oct. 9:
Volleyball: Whitney Billings
Just a week after her defensive prowess proved to be the difference in a 2-0 week for UK, it was her offensive display that lifted Kentucky to a 2-0 weekend at home this week. Sophomore Whitney Billings posted consecutive matches of 10 or more kills for just the second time this season and did so on a blazing .447 hitting percentage. A sub .200 average player, was simply spectacular in her effectiveness charting just a mere five errors in nearly 40 attempts. Billings also provided a trio of assists and got in on four blocks to run her point total 3.43 for the week. Her 11 kill performance in the win over Alabama marked the 15th time in her career she paced the Wildcats in offensive output. She just missed out on a double-double effort with 11 kills and nine digs in the win over Ole Miss.
Women’s soccer: Kelsey Hunyadi
Kelsey Hunyadi scored the game-winning goal against Arkansas. It was her eighth goal of the season, tying her career-high and gave her at team-high 23 points on the season. It was also her third game-winning goal this year. Hunyadi is 4-4 on penalty kicks this year.
Volleyball: Stephanie Klefot
Junior libero Stephanie Klefot led a defensive charge that limited opponents to a mere .072 hitting percentage in two UK victories this weekend. Klefot led the back-line effort with 4.43 digs per set and 31 total for the weekend. Klefot has now stretched her career total to 1,144 which ranks fourth all-time in UK history. Klefot had a season SEC-high 19 scoops in the victory over Ole Miss. She then picked up a match-high 12 digs in the win over Alabama. Kentucky’s defense limited Alabama to a -.012 hitting percentage for the match and just 16 total kills. It was the first time UK held an opponent to 20 or less kills in a match since 2008. The negative hitting percentage was a first for the Wildcat defense this season and the first since October of 2010. Klefot has now led the Wildcats in digs per match 18 times this season. The junior also added a season-high three aces in the win over the Tide to add to the team’s season-high 10 aces in a match.
Volleyball: Lauren O’Conner
Freshman Lauren O’Conner continues to bring a consistent presence to the Wildcat offense in helping UK improve to 16-3 and 7-1 in league play. O’Conner has charted eight or more kills in all seven of UK’s victories in SEC play. This week she contributed in a variety of ways with a team-high five service aces and she also added seven blocks for an average of one rejection per set. Her four blocks against Ole Miss matched a career-high for the first-year player. The three service aces against the Crimson Tide is a new career-best – and she helped the Wildcat set a new match-high in 2011 with 10 service aces in the win.
Men’s tennis: Eric Quigley
- Claimed the consolation singles title at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men’s All-American Championship.
- Quigley claimed the championship after taking down No. 10 Sebastian Fanselow of Pepperdine, dominating the highly ranked player for a straight-set win 6-3, 6-3.
- During the event, Quigley won five-consecutive matches, all against opponents that are ranked in the top 40 in the nation in singles, including No. 8 Evan King, No. 10 Fanselow, No. 19 Finn Tearney, No. 25 Luka Somen and No. 36 Louis Cant.
