No. 12 Kentucky Captures SEC Title Outright with 3-1 Win over No. 24 Missouri

Thanks to a dominant offensive performance from every position across the net, No. 12 Kentucky picked up a 3-1 victory over No. 24 Missouri Wednesday night in Columbia (25-19, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20) to capture the SEC Title outright for the second-consecutive season.

As they’ve done for much of the season, the Cats once again turned to their superstar sophomore to deliver under the brightest lights as DeLeye recorded a match-high 19 kills on an impressive .359 clip. She also picked up five service aces in the winning effort and rattled off a 5-0 service run to bring the Cats back within a point and kickstart a comeback after trailing by as many as six in the fourth and final set.

DeLeye wasn’t doing it by herself against the Tigers, however, as Megan Wilson (13) and Brooke Bultema (11) also eclipsed double figures in the match. Rounding out the scoring was Jordyn Dailey, who finished with nine kills on a .750 hitting percentage and Erin Lamb, who finished with eight terminations.

Kentucky was paced by senior setter Emma Grome who dished out a match-high 54 assists as the Cats hit .377 as a team.

On the back line Eleanor Beavin led the way with 15 digs and a pair of service aces. Molly Tuozzo added 14 digs to go along with four assists and a service ace, Grome finished with eight digs, Wilson had six, and DeLeye had five.

Dailey led the defensive effort at the net with four rejections. Grome added three, Wilson had a pair, and Bultema and DeLeye each totaled one.

With the victory, Kentucky concludes the regular season with a 20-7 overall record and a 14-2 mark in the SEC and are currently riding an 11-match winning streak. With no matches left to play, the Cats claimed the SEC Title outright and the NCAA Tournament’s automatic qualifier over Texas, who currently sits in second place with three losses and a match still left to play. With the regular season concluded, Kentucky now awaits their NCAA Tournament berth as the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Selection Show airs Sunday evening at 6:00 pm ET. The top-16 seeded teams named by the committee will host the First and Second Rounds next weekend on campus.