It was just as competitive as Craig Skinner expected it would be.In a matchup of top-25 teams, Kentucky and Texas A&M went toe to toe in the second and third sets. There were a combined eight deuce points in the two sets and the Wildcats had to fight off five set points in the third.The heat, in other words, was on.”There’s a lot of pressure when you’re down and trying to have to knot it up each time you have to side out,” head coach Craig Skinner said. “It’s about making plays.”UK was able to make them. The No. 13 Cats (14-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) battled relentlessly and finished off a win over the No. 21 Aggies (11-4, 3-1 SEC) in a match that was much closer than the final 3-0 score line. In so doing, UK swept its first home weekend in SEC play to stretch its winning streak to eight.Lauren O’Conner (17 kills) and Shelby Workman (15 kills) headlined the UK attack, while Anni Thomasson doubled her previous career best with six aces to lead a strong Wildcat service game.”It was huge,” Skinner said. “You saw their offense, how fast it is and how difficult it is to defend. We were able to get them out of system most of the night until the end of the third set. And then they just–kill after kill after kill. So were able to get them out of system to get the lead there at the end and then make a play for match point. Serving’s a big deal when you play against offensive teams.”An even bigger deal was the focus UK showed on defense. The Aggies hit a solid .295 for the match, but none of their 54 kills came easily. The Cats repeatedly made hustle and kept balls alive that seemed destined for the floor. Really, that’s become the hallmark of this UK team. “I’ve said it from the beginning: This is a very competitive group individually and they are not satisfied with the ball dropping within their range and they go for it until it drops,” Skinner said.
Cats now 14-2, 4-0 in #SEC play. RT @UKphotogs: UK volleyball defeats Texas A&M! #BBN #WeAreUK pic.twitter.com/EB188znVBr
— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) October 6, 2014
