Kentucky volleyball rises in national poll once again following sweep of reigning champs

Kentucky volleyball setter Ava Sarafa - UK Athletics

Kentucky volleyball continues to rise in the national poll.

After a 2-0 stretch over the weekend that saw the Wildcats pull off a pair of sweeps, one coming against the reigning national champions, Craig Skinner's team jumped one spot from No. 4 to No. 3 in the country, per the latest AVCA rankings released Monday afternoon. Kentucky went up to Pennsylvania on Friday and Saturday, taking down then-No. 5 Penn State 3-0 on banner night before following that up with another sweep the next day against New Hampshire.

Kentucky's win over Penn State knocked the Nittany Lions down to 12th. Up next, the Wildcats will head to Texas for a mid-week showdown against another highly-ranked foe. UK is set to face No. 7 Pittsburgh on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN) at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX.

https://twitter.com/NCAAVolleyball/status/1965128053530788227

Kentucky, which holds a 3-1 record on the season with its lone loss a 3-2 reverse sweep at the hands of top-ranked Nebraska, continues to run through the non-conference gauntlet. After Wednesday's match with Pitt, the 'Cats will finally play a couple of games in Lexington. Kentucky will host No. 10 SMU this Saturday at Memorial Coliseum (3:00 p.m. ET) with a quick turnaround against unranked Houston on Sunday (2:00 p.m. ET).

Outside of Pitt and SMU, Kentucky still has to face several more ranked opponents once SEC play hits. The Texas Longhorns checked in at No. 2 in this week's poll, while No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 11 Florida, and No. 23 Missouri are also on the conference schedule. But if Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson continue to play at as high a level as they have been to start the season, Kentucky is going to come out with the win more often than not.

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DeLeye and Hudson have plenty of help, though. We have to mention freshman setter Kassie O'Brien, who was named the SEC Setter of the Week on Monday. The Texas native paced Kentucky's offense to a .443 hitting percentage against Penn State and New Hampshire while recording a combined 58 assists.

Coach Skinner has something special brewing in Lexington. While you're here, re-live the Penn State win through UK's recap video below. Another big opportunity awaits the 'Cats on Wednesday.