Kentucky Opens Historic Memorial Coliseum With 3-0 Win Over NKU
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 9 Kentucky Volleyball team christened Historic Memorial Coliseum on Friday night with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-13) win over the Northern Kentucky Norse in front of 3,516 fans.
The renovation of Historic Memorial Coliseum, the largest investment in women’s athletics history for the university, was open to the public for the first time as fans flocked into the facility to enjoy the new features. Sophomore outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye had eight kills on 18 swings to hit .333 on the night as Kentucky hit .350 for the night and held Northern Kentucky to -.088 on the night with 14 kills and 20 hitting errors for the Norse.
Senior setter Emma Grome logged 25 assists for the night with seven digs and a kill as she littered the stat sheet in the Wildcats second match of the year. Eleanor Beavin led all players in the match with nine digs to go alongside three aces and three assists as Beavin and the strong Kentucky defense held the Norse to a negative hitting percentage for the match.
The 2024 Bluegrass Battle will continue with action Saturday beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET with a match between Northern Kentucky and Western Kentucky inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky returns to action at 5:30 p.m. ET for a match vs. WKU and the 7:30 p.m. ET match will feature WKU and Morehead State. The Kentucky vs. WKU match will be shown live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
Set One
Kentucky dominated in the first set with sophomore Brooklyn DeLeye hitting a perfect 1.000 percent in the first 10 points of the game with four early kills. DeLeye claimed the first point in the newly-renovated Historic Memorial Coliseum and was off and running from there. With Kentucky up 7-3, Jordyn Dailey entered the game and added four kills in favor of the Wildcats. NKU attempted to make a comeback closing the score within four at 13-9, however, the Wildcats’ Brooke Bultema served out the set with four points in a row to close out the first set, 25-13.
Set Two
Senior Emma Grome set the tone for the Wildcats in the second frame leading an aggressive offense with an overall .524 hitting percentage to jump out to an early lead. Grome clocked in 19 assists to propel the team forward. The Norse closed the gap early on to just a two-point deficit putting the score at 8-6, but Kentucky’s defense proved the difference with 10 digs and two blocks. Outside hitter Megan Wilson brought the heat leading the Wildcats to victory with four kills and hitting an impressive .444 giving the Wildcats the set win, 25-9.
Set Three
The Wildcats carried their momentum into the final frame leading 9-5 early on due to a solo block from Bultema and two kills from junior Haley Melby. Senior Erin Lamb went on a four-point scoring run for the Wildcats increasing the lead to 15-6. Kentucky added two kills from freshman Kennedy Washington advancing the lead by 10 at 19-9. Kentucky sealed the sweep with combined efforts from Melby and Asia Thigpen adding a service ace and kill to close out the match, 25-13.
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