Four Cats Reach Double Digits, No. 22 UK Beats Ole Miss for Fourth Straight Win

Brooklyn DeLeye totaled another 19 kills and No. 22 Kentucky picked up a fourth-straight victory Sunday afternoon, downing the Ole Miss Rebels in four (25-14, 26-28, 25-10, 25-11) inside Rupp Arena. 

DeLeye was spectacular for the Cats yet again as she led all players with 19 kills on a .472 clip with just two errors. It’s the fifth time in six Southeastern Conference matches that the freshman has totaled at least 18 kills in a match. But despite her individual success, DeLeye credits her other teammates as the key to the increase in her offensive performance in conference play. 

“Emma (Grome), she’s doing an amazing job distributing the ball and all the other hitters are just leaving it wide open for us outsides so it’s really cool how we’re all clicking,” DeLeye said.

DeLeye wasn’t the only one who who had it rolling offensively for the Cats, though, as three other Wildcats eclipsed double figures on the afternoon. Megan Wilson and Azhani Tealer each added 13 kills of their own, Elise Goetzinger had 10, and Jordyn Williams recorded 6. 

Emma Grome directed the Kentucky offense to 61 total kills on a .316 clip and dished out 53 assists in the winning effort. 

Defensively the Cats were superb against the Rebels as they held Ole Miss to .086 hitting through four sets of play. Ole Miss failed to see a player reach double figures in the match and racked up 26 total hitting errors.

Williams led the defensive charge at the net with six rejections while Tealer added four. On the back line, junior libero Eleanor Beavin picked up a match-high 17 digs to go along with a pair of assists and two aces. Grome added 11 digs of her own, Audrey Whitworth and Molly Tuozzo each had 6, and DeLeye and Tealer had 5. 

With the win, the Cats extend their win streak to four and are 7-7 on the year. It’s the first time the Cats have sat at the .500 mark since they were 1-1 after the first two matches of the season. They boast a 5-1 record in the SEC and are currently tied for second in the conference. Kentucky will be back in action next Sunday as they take on No. 12 Tennessee in a rematch in Knoxville. First serve is set for 5:00 pm E.T. and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.