Kentucky VB Outlasts UCLA 3-1, Advances to NCAA Sweet 16

No. 1 seed Kentucky fought off a gritty battle from No. 8 seed UCLA on Saturday night inside Memorial Coliseum, winning 3-1 to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Volleyball tournament. The Wildcats were inches away from a sweep before UCLA stole the third set in extra points, but the Cats powered through and controlled the fourth to take home the win.

“What’s so special about this team is that they don’t get small in big moments,” All-SEC First Teamer Eva Hudson said. “It’s like we almost shine brighter, so that really just gives us more confidence.”

Kentucky’s stars delivered one of their most complete postseason efforts of the season. Brooklyn DeLeye led her team with an outstanding 30 kills on .397 hitting, closing out long rallies and delivering clutch swings in every tense moment. Hudson was equally dominant, posting 27 kills on a blistering .463 hitting percentage, powering her team through every offensive stall. Asia Thigpen and Lizzie Carr controlled the Cats block, combining for eight huge blocks, including several momentum-turning plays. Setter Kassie O’Brien orchestrated the offense with 60 assists and 14 digs, while libero Molly Tuozzo finished with 15 phenomenal digs, including multiple highlight plays that led to Wildcat points.

The first set was a thriller. Hudson opened the match with a powerful kill before UCLA stormed to a 5-0 run, but the Cats immediately answered with a 5-0 surge of its own. The set stayed close at 13-13 before a monster block from Thigpen and Carr forced a Bruins timeout at 15-13. UCLA answered with a late run to take a 21-20 lead, but Hudson’s powerful kill flipped the momentum back. The final stretch became a battle: Hudson tied it at 23, 24, and 26. DeLeye produced back-to-back kills late in extras, and Kentucky held off the Bruins 30-28, powered by nine kills from DeLeye and eight from Hudson in the set alone.

The Wildcats controlled the second from the middle on. After UCLA opened with a 3-0 run, the Cats stabilized behind DeLeye, who got to double-digit kills early. Carr’s perfectly placed swing gave Kentucky a 10-7 lead, and a block from Thigpen and Carr stopped the Bruins’ momentum. DeLeye’s 12th kill forced a UCLA timeout at 17-12 before the Wildcats burst out to a 6-0 run. Hudson capped it off, delivering the final kill in a dominant 25-16 win as the Cats ended the set on an 11-4 run.

Kentucky jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set before the Bruins stormed back to tie it at seven. DeLeye’s huge kill tied it again at 10, but service errors slowed the Cats’ momentum. A tricky O’Brien tip made it 13-11, but UCLA tied the set at 14, 16, and 17. Tuozzo’s incredible dig ignited an 18-17 Kentucky lead, but the Bruins wouldn’t go away. Hudson hammered home massive swings down the stretch, and DeLeye set up match point twice, but the Bruins escaped and took the set 30-28, pushing the match to a fourth.

The Wildcats came out hot in the fourth set with a 4-1 run, but UCLA responded with three straight before DeLeye delivered a kill down the line. Momentum tilted towards the Bruins after stealing the third set, but Hudson kept the Cats steady with several powerful swings that led to a 15-11 lead. Out of a Bruins timeout, Hudson delivered a massive kill, and a huge Thigpen-Carr block gave Kentucky a 23-15 lead. Tuozzo’s full-extension dig assisted a DeLeye kill that set up match point, and the Wildcats finished the job 25-17, securing a hard-fought 3-1 victory.

“I think if we had swept this match 3-0, we would’ve had a different focus in practice this week,” said head coach Craig Skinner. “The fact that we got pushed to the limits in two of those sets is really important because it heightens your attention to detail and intentionality in practice.”

With the win, Kentucky advances to the Sweet 16 next, where the Wildcats will aim to keep their tournament run alive and continue proving why they earned the No. 1 overall seed. UK will face either 4-seed Southern California or Cal Poly next week with a spot in the Elite 8 on the line.