No. 13 Kentucky Volleyball Keeps Rolling with Four-Set Win at No. 20 Florida

The No. 13 Kentucky Volleyball team picked up its 10^th-straight victory Sunday afternoon, downing No. 20 Florida in four sets (25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18) in Gainesville to remain in first atop the Southeastern Conference.

The Cats’ calling card throughout much of this winning streak has been their ability to run a balanced offensive attack. And against the Gators that trend continued, as five Wildcats finished the day with seven or more kills. 

Three Cats eclipsed double figures, led yet again by stellar freshman Brooklyn DeLeye. After beginning the match hitting in the negatives after an especially difficult second set, it wasn’t long before she settled into a rhythm en route to a team-high 15 kill performance.

Rutherford and Goetzinger also torched Florida for double-digit kills, as each totaled 13 terminations. Megan Wilson added eight kills and Azhani Tealer had seven on 13 swings with no errors.

As a team, junior setter Emma Grome directed the Kentucky attack to a .253 hitting clip thanks to 51 assists. In the fourth frame, she helped the Cats close out the match with 16 team kills on a .419 clip.

It was a balanced afternoon defensively for Kentucky as well, though, as six players recorded five or more digs. Eleanor Beavin led the team with 14 digs, DeLeye added 10 to round out her fifth double-double of the season, Grome added nine, Molly Tuozzo had eight, Audrey Whitworth finished with seven, and Rutherford had five. 

Azhani Tealer was a force at the net as Kentucky sent back 9.0 blocks. Tealer led the Cats with five rejections, Rutherford had four, Goetzinger had three, and Wilson and Grome each had two. 

With the victory, Kentucky improves to 13-7 on the season and 11-1 in the SEC. The schedule won’t get any easier, however, as the Cats travel to Auburn, Ala. On Wednesday for a clash with No. 24 Auburn. First serve against the Tigers is set for 7:30 pm E.T.