Kentucky Volleyball cruises in opening match of NCAA Tournament

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The No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, your Kentucky Wildcats, took care of business against the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV in dominating fashion, as they typically do. Here’s how it all went down during the second round…

In the first set, Kentucky got on the board quickly and furiously. Behind a pair of service aces and a pair of Avery Skinner kills, UK got out to a quick 5-1 lead that they never relinquished.

The two teams stayed about even through the midway point of the set and UNLV pulled within three at 15-12 before two kills from Alli Stumler boosted the ‘Cats cushion. From there, Kentucky suffocated the Rebels and eventually extended the lead to nine by the end of the set, winning it 25-16

UK was up 1-0 and Alli Stumler already had 4 kills and 5 digs by the first intermission.

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UNLV was the aggressor to begin the second, getting out to a 5-3 lead and maintaining a tie midway through the set at 11-11. Kentucky scored three straight to push it to 14-11 and they held the Runnin’ Rebels at arms length before eventually pulling away as the set drew to a close.

‘Cats were on top after the second 25-19, and up 2-0 heading into set No. 3…

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Kentucky did what they do best: shut out their opponent in convincing fashion for another straight-set sweep. Although the first 10 or so points of the set were relatively close, UK pulled ahead in the middle portion yet again.

With Kentucky up one at 10-9, they went ahead and ran off eight straight points. Madi Skinner got a kill, Elise Goetzinger got a kill, Walker served an ace and Alli Stumler slammed one home to give UK a 14-9 lead. If you’ve played against this team, you know a five-point lead may as well be 20.

From there, Kentucky really started laying it on. They got the lead up to 18-10 and were prancing towards the second round. Obviously, the ‘Cats held on and finished off the third set 25-18 with a Stumler kill sending Kentucky through to the next round.

FINAL – Kentucky 3, UNLV 0

UK advances to the Sweet 16 and will play the winner of WKU/Wash St. on Sunday!

Time is TBA. #WeAreUK | #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/c1k68d1n6y

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) April 16, 2021

On the day, Madi and Avery Skinner lead with 11 and 10 kills each, with Stumler matching Avery at 10 while also adding 8 digs. Ahzani Tealer also had a nice game with 9 kills and 4 blocks, and, of course, Madison Lilley was the engine of the vessel, finishing with 44 assists and 5 digs.

Now that the postseason is here, we got to see a more experimental Craig Skinner. Most coaches tighten their rotations as the season goes on and especially so in the postseason, but Skinner played two back-row players who spent most of the spring slate on the bench.

Back row specialists Maddie Berezowitz and Riah Walker both saw a lot of action this evening and played well. In the regular season, Skinner would generally keep certain front row players in — like Avery Skinner, Alli Stumler and Ahzani Tealer — instead of subbing them out for back row players.

I figured that those girls were solid enough on defense to stay alive and their presence as attackers, even in the back row, made Kentucky that much more dangerous on offense. Alas, Skinner would sub some of them instead of leaving them in the back to help bolster the weakest part of this juggernaut UK squad: the back row passing.

Who am I to question the veteran winner? Coach Skinner changed his playbook a tad but still steamrolled Kentucky’s first NCAA Tournament opponent with the same ease in which they dominated the SEC.

The Volleyball ‘Cats will be back in action to continue their Tournament run on Sunday when they play the winner of the upcoming Washington State/Western Kentucky game.