Kentucky volleyball blanked at home by defending champion Wisconsin

No. 14 Kentucky couldn’t stop No. 6 Wisconsin in Lexington on Friday night. The Badgers swept the Wildcats 3-0 in a performance where they showed why they’re the defending national champions. Kentucky had no answers for Wisconsin in any of the three sets as the Badgers demonstrated resiliency and an undying effort on practically every point.

Wisconsin moves to 4-1 on the season while Kentucky drops to 4-2. The ‘Cats couldn’t keep the momentum going after their trip to Omaha last weekend. This was the first time this season that Kentucky got swept and the second time where the loss has come at home inside Memorial Coliseum.

We’ve got a lot of season left 😉 pic.twitter.com/PdUY84MECu

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) September 10, 2022

So Far, So Good

The energy and noise in Memorial Coliseum were unmatched to start. Wisconsin’s first serve went into the net, which sent the UK faithful into a frenzy. Emma Grome got up and blocked a Wisconsin shot which caused her to be picked up in celebration by teammate Erin Lamb. Adanna Rollins got in on the action with a kill that put Kentucky up 9-7 early. Rollins recorded three kills quickly in the first set.

But Wisconsin went on a small run later in the set and Kentucky couldn’t regain the lead. Outside hitter Sarah Franklin made her presence known with a couple of big kills and Gülce Güçtekin added a crazy dig which led to a Wisconsin point putting them up 18-14. The incredible effort from the Badgers was just a testament to what was to come.

Wisconsin went on to win the first set 25-23. Franklin had four kills after the first and Reagan Rutherford led Kentucky with four kills at the end of the opening set.

Same Patterns, Same Results

The second set was the best one for the Wildcats, hands down. They started on a roll with Rollins recording two consecutive kills to start the set. She even added a block to tie the set at five. Azhani Tealer then had two blocks in the set and a missile of a kill that put the ‘Cats up 15-9. Kentucky wasn’t able to keep that lead as the Badgers stormed back.

“We get two points here, and then we’ll go on four-point runs where we don’t score at all. We just have to string those together a little bit better and learn to stay consistent. Our energy, sometimes we get high and then we get low. We can work on that a little bit better,” Tealer said after the game on how Kentucky can keep its momentum lasting longer in sets.

The ‘Cats did lose their energy as the second set came to a close. Tealer fought off a Wisconsin set point with her kill to make it 26-26, but Franklin’s kill would win the second set for the Badgers 28-26.

Hey, @sarahfrankk13 think you dropped this… 👑

WATCH NOW: https://t.co/x7MDg5VVYz pic.twitter.com/du1gsnSmOZ

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 9, 2022

The third set was more of the same between both of the squads. Erin Lamb’s kill that had some funky spin on it saw Kentucky up 6-3 in the third. Rutherford recorded her 13th kill of the night to put the ‘Cats up 12-9. The momentum would soon cool off, with Wisconsin regaining the lead late in the set.

The Badgers would go on to finish Kentucky off, taking the third set 25-18.

Practice How You Play

“Playing against top 10 teams, you got to bring it in all phases and we had a lot of kills but too many mistakes and not enough pressure with our serve… I thought we gave them a lot of points in the first set, had a chance to win it… I didn’t think we had a great week of practice and we got to fix that,” Coach Craig Skinner said postgame.

The Wildcats won’t have that much time to fix their mistakes with a busy schedule coming up.

Kentucky has a date with Indiana State on Saturday afternoon. After that, No. 4 Louisville and No. 2 Nebraska come to Lexington next week. The matches are coming fast and difficult for the ‘Cats — it’s time to see if this team can bounce back against the best of the best.