Three Cats Reach Double Figures, No. 20 UK Volleyball Sweeps Mississippi State for Sixth-Straight Win

Junior Megan Wilson totaled 14 kills on a .385 clip and the No. 20 Kentucky volleyball team swept aside Mississippi State (25-20, 25-12, 25-22) in Rupp Arena Friday for its sixth-straight victory and second-consecutive sweep. 

Wilson was one of three Wildcats to eclipse double figures on the evening, as junior Emma Grome dished out a whopping 43 assists and directed the offense to 49 total kills on a .330 clip. In her second match back from injury, senior Reagan Rutherford added 10 kills with just one error and Azhani Tealer totaled 10 of her own. Elise Goetzinger and Brooklyn DeLeye each had seven and Grome tallied one. 

UK head coach Craig Skinner was pleased with his team’s balance offensively, especially as the Cats prepare to play a tough Arkansas team on Sunday. 

“Again spreading the offense around- Megan (Wilson) had a great night along with Reagan (Rutherford) and Z (Azhani Tealer),” Skinner said. “You never know which night someone needs to step up and tonight was their turn.”

Defensively, DeLeye had a stellar evening on the back line as she picked up a match-high 17 digs. Eleanor Beavin added 11 digs, the 16^th-consecutive match that the libero has totaled 10+ digs in a match. Audrey Whitworth, Molly Tuozzo, and Grome each added six digs of their own. 

At the net, Goetzinger proved to be a thorn in the side of the Bulldogs all match as she totaled 4.0 rejections. Rutherford added three, Grome and Tealer each had two, and DeLeye had one. Because of the Cats’ defensive effort, Mississippi State totaled just 28 kills through three sets of play and hit on a clip of just .126.

Kentucky’s defensive performance proved to be a key reason the Cats were able to come away with the sweep over a scrappy Bulldogs team who was coming off a four-set victory over No. 14 Florida. 

“Defensively, holding an SEC opponent under .150 is something we haven’t done in a while,” Skinner said. “So it’s good to see that work paying off in practice.”

With the victory, Kentucky improves to 9-7 on the year and 7-1 in Southeastern Conference play. Next up, SEC leader and No. 10 Arkansas comes to town on Sunday for a Top 25 clash with the Wildcats inside of Rupp Arena. The Razorbacks are currently riding a 16-match winning streak and knocked off No. 12 Tennessee in four sets in Knoxville Friday evening. First serve is set for 1:00 pm E.T. and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.