'Blue Collar' Cats Top Aggies in College Station
The third-ranked Kentucky volleyball team faced yet another challenge on Wednesday night, visiting No. 9 Texas A&M in College Station. And once again, the Cats were up to the challenge.
Facing one of the largest volleyball crowds in Reed Arena history, the Cats lost the first set but rallied to win the next three on their way to an eighth consecutive victory.
Eva Hudson was huge for Kentucky once again on Wednesday night. The senior had 24 kills and just two errors, hitting .373 for the match. Hudson enjoyed the atmosphere inside Reed Arena in the match.
“It’s so much fun to come play in an amazing arena, amazing crowd, a really big test for us, especially coming off three (matches) where we didn’t lose a set,” she told the SEC Network after the match. “So, this was a big challenge for us and I’m really proud of the team.”
Hudson admitted that the Cats did not get off to a great start, but noted how the team ralled near the end of the first set.
“I think definitely during the first set, we were frazzled the first 20 points and then you could see we kind of started turning it on at the end,” she said. “And then it just continued in the next three sets. I’m just so proud of us.”
Kentucky faced two set points in the fourth set as the Aggies tried to extend the match to a winner-take-all fifth frame. However, each time, the Cats were able to bounce back and UK eventually won the fourth set 27-25. Hudson noted how there’s no quit in her team.
“It’s just a gritty team,” Hudson said. “We’re going to try to outlast every single team we play. We have a saying called ‘blue collar’ and I think that really sums up our team.”
Hudson also noted the play of freshman setter Kassie O’Brien, who returned to her home state on Wednesday and notched 48 assists and 12 digs.
“I think there was a lot of pressure coming back home for her and she came out blazing and I’m so proud of her,” Hudson said. “You can just see how much better she’s gotten throughout the season.”
The gritty Cats pulled out another tough, top-10 win on the road on Wednesday. The battle-tested group continues to be one of the nation’s best teams, while playing perhaps the toughest schedule in the country.
