Offense Efficient in KIVA Tourney, Match vs. Cincinnati Thursday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The second week of spring competition for the Kentucky volleyball team consisted of a round-robin, one-day tournament on Saturday with an efficient offense highlighting the day. 

The Wildcats will return to action for their final competition of the spring season on Thursday. UK will play host to Cincinnati in Memorial Coliseum at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend and doors will open one hour prior to first serve. It is the last chance to see the team before the 2016 season kicks off at home on Sept. 9.

“We are looking forward to our last spring match on Thursday against Cincinnati,” UK head coach Craig Skinner said. “They were impressive last Saturday in Louisville. Molly (Alvey) has done a great job getting that program back on its feet.  It will be a physical match and we will learn a lot about ourselves heading into summer.”

UK took on Georgia Tech, Dayton and Purdue and played a combined six sets on the day at the KIVA Tournament on Saturday. 

Kentucky’s offensive execution continued to shine led by sophomore setter Olivia Dailey. Dailey paced the team to a sensational .313 hitting clip for the day with four players totaling eight or more kills. 

“We were pleased with our improvement offensively from the beginning of spring,” head coach Craig Skinner said. “Attacking over .300 with only eight percent errors is very efficient for us. Olivia is settling in to running the show and all four of our pin attackers on the day made great decisions. Kaz (Brown) also had her best offensive day of the spring in the middle for us.”

Freshman Anna Nyberg and junior Darian Mack led the way for the Wildcats with 25 and 19 kills, respectively. With senior Anni Thomasson sitting out for the weekend the duo saw increased action this week. Mack utilized a .390 hitting clip in executing her 19 kills. 

Junior Kaz Brown totaled 10 kills on a team-high .400 hitting percentage. Classmate Emily Franklin and Brown combined for seven of the team’s 16 blocks. Sophomore Brooke Morgan added eight kills and three blocks, while senior Sharay Barnes added eight kills and a block to the Wildcats’ cause.  

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