No 13. UK Volleyball Dominates No. 24 Auburn on the Road for 11th-Straight Win

Reagan Rutherford totaled 14 kills and the No. 13 Kentucky volleyball team served up 10 team aces as the Wildcats coasted past No. 24 Auburn on The Plains in straight sets (25-14, 25-11, 25-14) for their 11^th-straight victory. 

Kentucky dominated the match from the service line Wednesday night, tallying an impressive 10 service aces and limiting the Tigers’ ability to get into any kind of consistent offensive rhythm. Audrey Whitworth finished with four aces, Molly Tuozzo had three, and Eleanor Beavin, Emma Grome, and Elise Goetzinger all totaled one. 

Offensively, Rutherford was a torch at the net, picking up 14 kills on just 21 swings, good for a .571 hitting clip. She and DeLeye, who finished with 12 terminations, totaled 26 kills, five more than the entirety of Auburn’s team. Azhani Tealer added seven kills of her own, Goetzinger had six, and Erin Lamb had three.

Grome, who was named the SEC Setter of the Week for the fifth time this season on Monday, had yet another masterful performance directing Kentucky’s offense. The junior recorded 38 assists on 42 Kentucky kills and added five digs to the winning effort as well.

Defensively, Tuozzo continued to impress in her freshman campaign, as she picked up a match-high 11 digs. Beavin added 10, Whitworth had seven, Rutherford finished with five, and DeLeye had four. The Tigers hit just .095 for the match and failed to see a player eclipse six kills. 

The win pushes Kentucky’s win-streak to 11, a run that began in a five-set win at Georgia on September 29^th. Throughout that streak, the Cats have picked up four Top 25 victories, three of which have come on the road. Kentucky improves to 14-7 on the year and 12-1 in the Southeastern Conference and remains in first place atop the league. The Cats will be back in action Sunday as they return home to take on Georgia inside of Rupp Arena. First serve against the Bulldogs is set for 1:00 pm E.T. and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.