Volleyball Cats Bounce Back in Big Way on Saturday
The third-ranked Kentucky volleyball team dropped its first match of the season on Saturday, suffering a five-set loss at No. 7 Florida. Facing the Gators again on Saturday, the Cats were determined to not let that happen again.
Kentucky made a huge statement, and took control of the SEC regular season race, with a dominant 25-20, 25-18, 25-21 sweep of the Gators on Florida’s home floor. Kentucky is now 17-1 with two matches remaining and has a two-game lead on Florida. With one more win, UK would clinch a fourth consecutive SEC regular season crown.
It was an outstanding performance by Kentucky and the stats tell the story. The Cats had 45 kills to Florida’s 35. Kentucky hit .266 for the match while Florida hit .131. UK had 41 assists to UF’s 28. Kentucky had four aces, while Florida had none. And the Cats had seven total blocks while the Gators, who lead the SEC in blocks, had just six.
Individually, it was a collective effort for the Cats. Freshman Madi Skinner continued her late-season surge with 13 kills and just two errors on 23 swings (.478). Skinner also had five block assists and three digs in the match.
Junior Alli Stumler had 13 kills and two errors on 34 attempts (.324). Stumler had eight digs, three assists and a block assist.
Madison Lilley, the heavy favorite for SEC Player of the Year, was her typical outstanding self. After suffering through cramps in the final two games of yesterday’s match, Lilley came back on Saturday with 34 assists, six digs, three kills and two service aces.
Avery Skinner had seven kills and seven digs for UK, while Azhani Tealer had six kills and three block assists for UK.
Senior Gabby Curry anchored the back line with 12 digs, while redshirt freshman Bella Bell had four block assists.
It was clear from the outset that Kentucky was not going to let what happened yesterday happen again. Florida took an early 7-4 lead in the first game before Kentucky went on a 14-7 run, including four points in a row, to lead 18-14. Florida would cut the lead to 21-20 before Kentucky scored the final four points of the game to win by five.
In game two, it was Kentucky that got off to a fast start. The Cats scored the first three points of the game and raced out to an 8-3 lead. Florida would get as close as one, 11-10, but would never tie the game that Kentucky dominated, winning 25-18.
The third game appeared to be headed in the same direction, with Kentucky grabbing an early lead. However, with the Cats leading 14-10, Florida would score five in a row to lead for the first time since game one. However, it didn’t last. UK quickly turned a 15-14 deficit into a 19-17 lead. Again, the Gators would try to chase down the Cats and again, they were unsuccessful.
Kentucky has two matches against Alabama, one Wednesday and one Thursday. A win in either would clinch another SEC championship for Kentucky. For UK’s seniors (Curry, Lilley, Avery Skinner and Kendyl Paris) it would be four SEC titles in four years.(Note: Kentucky has two matches apiece against South Carolina and Texas A&M that could still be rescheduled).
Saturday’s three-set win at Florida showed that, once again this season, UK is the best team in the conference.
