No. 3 Kentucky VB Survives Five-Set Triller Against Florida

Kentucky took down the Florida Gators Sunday afternoon, 3-2 (25-16, 25-21, 25-19, 25-21, 15-6), in a thrilling five-set matchup, after being named the No. 4 team in the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball in-season Top 16 rankings.

Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson led the way for the Cats, both tallying double-doubles. Hudson’s energy, coupled with her efficient teamwork with DeLeye, gave the Kentucky offense firepower. Libero Molly Tuozzo carried the back row with a team-high 19 digs, showing tenacity and grit to the Wildcats in each set. Lizzie Carr and Kassie O’Brien were solid at the net, contributing a combined 12 blocks to help Kentucky secure another SEC victory.

“It’s amazing being able to have these pressure situations and knowing that she has my back and I have hers,” said Hudson on her teamwork with DeLeye. “I think it really takes the pressure off of us in these big moments.”

Kentucky came out in the first set, with their foot on the gas; it appeared they were headed for an easy win. Jumping out to an early 3-2 lead, the Cats were firing on all cylinders. Though Brooklyn DeLeye got off to a slow start, it was Eva Hudson who helped her team maintain a steady lead with five crucial kills and difficult digs. Midway through the set, the Wildcats strung together a huge 3-0 run to force a Florida timeout, separating the gap even further to make it 18-11. Kentucky was on fire on both the offensive and defensive sides, leading them to an easy 25-16 victory in the first set.

The second set took an unexpected turn for the Cats. Several mistakes led to easy points for Florida, forcing an early Kentucky timeout. Despite the rough start, Hudson and DeLeye worked together to keep their team in the set, but the Wildcats’ repeated missed digs kept them from closing the gap. After calling another timeout, Kentucky responded with a 3-0 run to spark some momentum. The Cats fought hard, highlighted by a long rally capped by a stuff block and kill from Carr to make it 24-21. But their late push wasn’t enough, as Florida took the second set 25-21.

Florida opened the third set with a 3-0 lead as Kentucky once again struggled to find its rhythm. The Gators completely shut down the Wildcats’ offense, forcing an early timeout at 7-2. Kentucky was able to put together a short 3-0 run behind DeLeye’s strong kills and Tuozzo’s key digs, but the Gators maintained control at 13-6 to force another Kentucky timeout. The Cats were fighting for every point while trying to find some momentum. Despite Hudson’s dominant kills and high energy, Kentucky couldn’t overcome its slow start. Florida won their second set in a row, 25-19, with all the energy on their side heading into the next set.

Hudson started the fourth set strong, helping her team regain some momentum and take an early 6-4 lead. The set stayed tight throughout, as every Kentucky run was met with a response by Florida. Kentucky finally was able to build enough momentum late to force a Gators timeout and then extend their lead to 20-17, their largest since the opening set. Kentucky quickly forced another Florida timeout after a big 2-0 run to hype up the crowd. Hudson brought the energy down the stretch while Carr sealed the deal with a huge block, closing out the set 25-21 in favor of the Cats and evening the match.

Kentucky carried all of its momentum from the fourth set over to the fifth set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead and forcing a Florida timeout. The Cats kept it going with a 4-0 run, powered by huge kills from Hudson and DeLeye. Florida was fighting back hard, but a massive kill from DeLeye pushed the lead to 11-5, prompting another Gator timeout. O’Brien and DeLeye came up with clutch plays late, leading Kentucky to a convincing 15-6 win to take the match.

Despite the win, Kentucky struggled throughout large sections of the match, especially when trying to play from behind. Florida was looking to pull another upset coming off a huge win at Tennessee, but the Wildcats refused to give up, relentlessly fighting back even when the set seemed out of reach.

The Cats go back on the road for their next matchup to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on Mississippi State on Friday at 7:00 p.m. With more underdog teams coming up on the schedule, the Wildcats will need to work on consistency and capitalizing on opportunities to keep their winning streak alive.