Gaerte Finds Form Again in Friday Victory
Kentucky opposite hitter Morgan Gaerte appeared to find a new comfort level with her new position late in September. The former outside hitter, who transferred from Notre Dame to UK in the offseason, was adapting well to her new spot on the floor.
On Sept. 20 against Louisville, Gaerte had 20 kills for the first time this season while hitting .317 in a four-set win over the top-five ranked Cardinals.
The following match, facing then undefeated Vanderbilt in Nashville, Gaerte upped her season high by one. She had 21 kills and just three errors on 34 swings, equating to a .529 hitting percentage.
It was shortly after that point that Gaerte’s season hit a bump in the road. In practice leading up to UK’s match against then-No. 7 Texas, Gaerte was hit in the face by a ball during practice. The resulting eye injury would sideline the junior for the match against Texas.
Gaerte also missed Kentucky’s match at Auburn last week before returning against then-No. 7 Florida in Gainesville on Sunday. She was forced to wear protective glasses, to help prevent further injury to the eye.
Against Florida, Gaerte had to shake off the rust from missing two matches, and some practices, against one of the nation’s best teams. Gaerte was also forced to wear protective eyewear for the first time, which would be an adjustment for anyone. She was able to notch 11 kills, but had eight errors on 34 swings (.088). It was evident that she was not fully back to her prime form.
However, Gaerte got back in the groove on Friday night, as Kentucky swept LSU inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. Gaerte had 15 kills and only two errors on 26 swings (.500), while registering eight digs and four block assists.
The Gaerte party started in the first set. Gaerte had six kills on her first six swings and ended the set with seven kills while hitting .714. She also added three digs and two block assists. There seemed to a be a conscious effort by the Cats to get the ball to Gaerte early. UK head coach Craig Skinner said that was part of the plan, but also how the first set developed.
“A little bit of both,” Skinner said. “I think we knew that their middles would front, meaning take a step with our middles if we ran a certain play and sort of create space for Morgan. Just her getting the job done makes you want to keep going back there and scoring, especially in transition. And if she’s scoring like that, it makes it a lot easier for everybody else to score, too.”
In the second set, Gaerte continued to roll, collecting seven more kills while hitting .636. She appreciated her time away from the playing floor and what she was able to learn during that process.
“I think just being out for a few days, that made a big difference for me,” Gaerte said. “I think just being on the bench and learning from so many different perspectives about the little things we talk about, that was really cool.”
For Gaerte, she continues to adjust to wearing the protective eye wear.
“I had a different pair for Florida,” Gaerte said of her eyewear. “We’re trying out some different pairs, so these seem to stay (in place) the best and I can see the best.”
Gaerte appears to be adjusting not only to her new position, but to her new eyewear. The latter point was clearly evident in Friday’s win over LSU.
