Cats Return to Action Against First Top-Five Foe
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following a full two-week hiatus from competition, No. 15 Kentucky (2-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) is set to return to action against No. 5 Arkansas (1-3, 1-2 SEC) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET, broadcast live on ESPN+ from Memorial Coliseum.
The Wildcats’ first contest with a top-five foe follows a season-best performance in their last outing.
Though Kentucky fell 196.775-196.400 to then-No. 8 Alabama on Jan. 29, Raena Worley and Cally Nixon combined for three victories among all individual performers.
Nixon continued her season-long reign as vault queen with a fourth consecutive outright first-place finish on the event (9.900), while Worley earned both her third straight all-around crown (39.550) and second floor exercise title (9.950) in a row.
As a team, the Wildcats surpassed the 49-point threshold on every event for the first time this season, producing season highs on balance beam (49.025) and floor (49.275), outscoring the Crimson Tide—who exceeded 49.000 on just three events—on half the apparatuses.
Worley enters Friday tied for sixth on floor in the Road to Nationals individual national standings, complemented by a No. 10 ranking as one of Kentucky’s three all-arounders—joining 36th-ranked Josie Angeny and 37th-ranked Bailey Bunn.
Nixon enters Friday tied for No. 6 on vault.
Arkansas comes to Lexington fresh off its first win of the season on Jan. 29, having defeated No. 13 Georgia 196.875-195.950 on the road. Kentucky bested the Razorbacks 196.750-196.650 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, last season.
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