Keep your dancing shoes on: Kentucky VB sweeps its way into second round
A complete performance from No. 12 Kentucky volleyball saw the Wildcats sweep Loyola Chicago in the first round of NCAA Tournament play at Memorial Coliseum. That’s four straight occasions where the brooms have come out, dating back to Kentucky’s 3-0 win in Gainesville which proved pivotal in the SEC title race. On Thursday night, however, the stakes were much higher.
After Western Kentucky defeated Bowling Green in the first match of the Lexington sub-regional, the home squad was ready to take the court. Knowing their opponents if they were to get through, the ‘Cats dominated Loyola Chicago from start to finish.
Adanna Rollins’ 15 kills and SEC Player of the Year Emma Grome’s 44 assists led the way for the ‘Cats. Kentucky will get to stay home for one more night as they host WKU Friday evening with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Grome has the next hours planned before UK’s second-round matchup.
“Eat, sleep, watch some film and rest for tomorrow. We’re going to come into practice very focused and ready to scout Western Kentucky. I think just coming in with the right mindset and getting after it will be important,” said Grome.
Life in the fast lane
Kentucky made sure to make a statement in its opening set, setting the tone for the whole match. Adanna Rollins and Bella Bell could not be stopped early in the match. The duo was trading kills like they were Pokémon cards as the ‘Cats led 15-10 in the first. Bell and Rollins accounted for eight of the first 15 Kentucky points, tallying four kills apiece.
“I feel like we always want to go at them at the beginning of each set, no matter who the opponent is. Me and Adanna (Rollins) were the ones with hot hands in the first set, so we didn’t really plan it, it was just how it worked out,” said Bell on her high-flying start.
The momentum wouldn’t cool off with Reagan Rutherford grabbing a block and then Bell stuffing the Ramblers at the net on the next play.
Rollins’ back-to-back kills gave Kentucky set point. Who else would push them across the line two plays later? The All-SEC Rollins made sure the Wildcats would go into the second set up 1-0.
No way back
There truly wasn’t a way back for the Ramblers after falling behind 1-0 in the match. Erin Lamb got in on the mix in the second set with her fourth kill that put Kentucky up 13-5. The Wildcats then went on a 5-0 scoring run thanks to back-to-back kills from another all-conference stud, Rutherford. If those kills weren’t enough, Rutherford recorded the final three UK points in the set which capped off a 25-15 set two victory.
A set away from a second-round in-state matchup didn’t scare Kentucky at all.
All-SEC member Azhani Tealer stepped up at the net sending one of the Rambler attacks back the way it came from. She finished the night with four blocks of her own and continued to get it done, this time on offense with three late kills. Tealer put Kentucky on the doorstep with a right-handed missile kill that gave the Wildcats match point.
Rollins rose high and if Loyola wasn’t holding its breath, I don’t know what they were doing. Her kill ended the match and completed the 3-0 sweep as the crowd rejoiced. Storybook ending.
Less than a day away
It’ll be a quick turnaround for Kentucky with Round of 32 action starting at 7 p.m. on Friday. Western Kentucky brought a good crowd to their opening match in Lexington, so tomorrow should be a packed house consisting of red, white, and blue.
Five Kentucky players got on the scoreboard with kills Thursday night which may seem lower than normal. However, they all had at least eight kills or more. Head coach Craig Skinner knows he has multiple options on this squad. It’s just a roulette game to pick who is going to have a big night.
“We’re going to play a whole different lineup tomorrow against Western,” Skinner said jokingly after the match. “When you see the level of intensity of practice, you see that the confidence is being built not just by the people that are starting but the people that are on the other side of the net competing. They’re building their own confidence on a daily basis. So, as a coaching staff, we have no problem putting someone in those moments.”
At the end of the day, it doesn’t seem to matter who Coach Skinner puts on the floor. They’re going to battle. This is a team full of warriors. Warriors that came out of a gauntlet that included Louisville, Nebraska, and Wisconsin early on in the year. They came out as SEC Champions in the end and now they’re on their way to a second-round tournament match.
Keep those dancing shoes on BBN. Your move, WKU.
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