No. 10 Kentucky Sweeps No. 20 Florida, Captures SEC Championship Outright

Despite finishing the nonconference season with a record of just 2-6, the No. 10 Kentucky Volleyball team completed one of the most impressive turnarounds in recent memory Saturday as they swept No. 20 Florida at home on Senior Day (25-18, 25-21, 25-20) to move to 19-7 on the season and capture a seventh-straight Southeastern Conference title. 

The Kentucky defense did a masterful job slowing down Florida, as the Cats limited the Gators to a hitting clip of just .196 and forced them into 15 hitting errors and only 34 total kills. In their final regular season match as Wildcats, seniors Azhani Tealer and Reagan Rutherford made a big impact on the defensive end, recording 5.0 and 4.0 blocks respectively. 

Junior Eleanor Beavin led the back line once again for the Cats with 14 digs. Fresman Brooklyn DeLeye had 10, Molly Tuozzo had six, Audrey Whitworth totaled five, and Erin Lamb had four.

Offensively, Emma Grome directed the Kentucky attack to 45 kills on a .266 clip. She dished out 37 assists and finished with a pair of kills, including the game-clinching kill that won the Cats the match. 

On her Senior Day, Rutherford finished with a game-high 15 kills with only three errors on a .444 clip. Lamb added 11 kills of her own, DeLeye had nine, and Goetzinger and Tealer each had four. 

With the victory, Kentucky pushes its winning streak to 16-straight games, the longest active winning streak in the country. The Cats captured a share of the SEC title on Wednesday after sweeping No. 9 Arkansas in Fayetteville but won the championship outright following Saturday’s win over Florida. 

After winning the SEC title, Kentucky has received the SEC’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament and will prepare for postseason play beginning next week. The Cats will likely be named a sub-regional host for the first and second rounds set to begin on Thursday. Kentucky will learn their seed and potential path to a Final Four on Sunday during the 2023 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show. The selection show will be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 6:00 pm E.T.