Kentucky VB looks to defend SEC crown with conference play approaching

The Southeastern Conference waits for no one. In this instance, No. 15 Kentucky volleyball will be the hunted of the SEC, a title they should be used to. Winners of the last five SEC Championships, the Wildcats will look to keep recent history on their side and ensure that the best SEC team going into the NCAA Tournament is the team from Lexington.

One-third of the way into the 2022 season, Kentucky sits at 5-4 after a rigorous non-conference schedule. A 1-4 record against teams currently in the top 25 doesn’t seem too convincing, but it wasn’t just any top 25 teams.

The ‘Cats played three top 6 teams in the span of nine days, two of them against No. 2 Louisville and No. 3 Nebraska in the same week. Kentucky took the Cardinals to the absolute limit, a contest that was decided in the fifth set where the Wildcats ultimately fell. Kentucky’s opening night match was also a five-set loss to No. 19 Marquette — a match where the ‘Cats rallied from 2-0 down to force a decisive fifth set.

Kentucky’s lone top 25 win comes against No. 22 Creighton, who were beaten at home as the Wildcats went on to win the 2022 Bluejay Invitational. USC dropped out of the top 25 that weekend as well after Kentucky bested them and remains unranked.

Memorial Coliseum must be a fortress

Home court advantage will be a necessity for Kentucky as SEC play begins. Of Kentucky’s nine games so far, six of them have been at home. That being said, the ‘Cats have won two of those six contests at home against Ohio and Indiana State.

This could be an unfair measurement of defending home court, considering Kentucky’s four home losses are against Wisconsin, Nebraska, Louisville and Marquette. These clubs are all ranked in the top 25. Nonetheless, the Wildcats must improve on using BBN’s energy in Lexington because the crowds have been solid all year long.

This was set point for Kentucky in the fourth set. pic.twitter.com/APi7qQ7LBE

— Ian Alvano (@1_ianalvano) September 15, 2022

Granted, Kentucky’s schedule doesn’t really help them with opportunities to pick up big wins at home. With all due respect to the other competitors in the SEC, only two other teams find themselves in the top 25 other than the Wildcats. No. 20 Arkansas and No. 12 Florida are both on Kentucky’s schedule. However, both of those matchups are away from Lexington with two matches in Fayetteville and two in Gainesville.

#8 and #10 till the end

Reagan Rutherford and Adanna Rollins have been Kentucky’s best two players so far. Rutherford has 117 kills on the year and Rollins has 110, the two highest on the team by a considerable margin. Both Rutherford and Rollins will prove to be vital pieces if the ‘Cats wish to defend their SEC crown.

Rollins is hitting .272 on the year and Rutherford is sitting at .335. Rutherford’s breakout performances really appeared after that weekend in Omaha. She posted a career-high 25 kills against Creighton and was then named SEC Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week. If that wasn’t enough, Rutherford was named the MVP of the 2022 Bluejay Invitational.

The Penn State transfer, Rollins, will be playing in her first SEC conference game this weekend. She’s excited to play in a new conference and her experience in a very competitive and usually deep Big 10 should prove important come postseason time.

Rollins and Rutherford, two Texas natives, have implemented themselves not only as first-choice starters for the ‘Cats but also as superstars. Less than 300 miles separate the Texas cities where Kentucky’s current 1-2 punch combo hails from. One thing’s for sure, head coach Craig Skinner should not stop recruiting the Longhorn State.

Are we “There” yet

After Kentucky’s impressive performance against Louisville, Coach Skinner confirmed that the Wildcats weren’t “there” yet, referring to being able to hang with and beat the best teams in the country. Skinner is hopeful that his squad is “there” by the time December begins.

The first step to “there” starts now, as corny as it may sound. Seriously though, it’s time to see where this Kentucky team is at with LSU coming to Lexington. The Tigers and Wildcats will face off twice this weekend with the first meeting being on Saturday, Sep. 24 at 2 p.m. The match was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. but the change will accommodate fans that wish to attend the football game later that night.

However, we’re focusing on volleyball right now and it’s time to lock in. With conference play set to begin, Kentucky will look to dominate the SEC which they’ve done oh so well in the past.