RECAP: UK Volleyball comes from behind to win National Championship 3-1

YOUR 2020 KENTUCKY VOLLEYBALL TEAM IS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!

Kentucky Volleyball has defeated Texas 3-1 to win the first title in the history of the program and the first title of any program in the SEC.

The ‘Cats did it the way they usually do, dominating at the point of attack and upping their level of play as the game progressed. Here’s how it went down:

The first set was neck-and-neck through the midway point of the set, but at 11-10 with the Longhorns leading, they went on a 3-0 run to push the lead to a stiff 15-11 advantage. Kentucky wasn’t hitting with its normal efficiency nor were they having much success stopping a mammoth Texas frontline.

Texas held on throughout the second half of the opening set with UK only cutting the lead below three just once. Eventually, Texas held on to take a 1-0 set lead, 25-20, and the Cats looked rather sloppy up through this point.

In the second set, Kentucky scored the first point and never relinquished the lead. They quickly got on top 9-5 and held a four-point lead at several different moments in the first half of the second set. They pushed it out to five and six later in the set and wound up evening the match 1-1, winning the second set by seven, 25-18.

Alli Stumler … What else can we say?!

📺 ESPN2
📱 https://t.co/BCWzV24Opr
📊 https://t.co/c5bN7EeSF9#WeAreUK | #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/F5gQ62ZkgM

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) April 25, 2021

The third set was the tightest yet. Neither team led by more than two until Madison Lilley had a crucial solo block to give Kentucky a late 19-16 lead and control of the set. I’ll be honest, when Lilley roofed that Texas hit, it felt like the turning point in the game. A huge momentum-boosting stroke of excellence from Kentucky’s leader to give them a sizeable lead in the swing set.

From there, the ‘Cats held off Texas and sided out on their match point to win the third set 25-23 and take a commanding 2-1 lead.

ONE. MORE. SET.

📺 ESPN2
📱 https://t.co/BCWzV24Opr
📊 https://t.co/c5bN7EeSF9#WeAreUK | #NCAAVB pic.twitter.com/xqhd3Bgekh

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) April 25, 2021

During set no. 4, Kentucky fell behind early in a scary way. After scoring the first point of the set, Texas reeled off six straight to take an early five-point lead, which is fairly substantial for a volleyball set. Kentucky kept pounding away though and flipped a two-point deficit into a two-point lead with a 4-0 run in the middle of the set to lead 15-13.

Texas evened it up a few plays later and both teams traded points down the stretch. Kentucky managed a two-point lead at 21-19 after a huge block by Avery Skinner and Elise Goetzinger, but Texas responded with two straight of their own, then Kentucky got a kill from Madi Skinner and an ace by Riah Walker off a total whiff by Texas to give UK a 23-21 lead.

Kentucky advanced to a match point on the ensuing play with an Alli Stumler kill but Texas got a point right back. Then, off the Texas serve, the pass went to Gabby Curry and she set Stumler up…and she slammed it off a Longhorn to win the set and give Kentucky its first National Championship in program history!!

C-A-T-S = C-H-A-M-P-S!!! pic.twitter.com/AkYl8KEjyV

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) April 25, 2021

Let’s quickly go through the stats. Alli Stumler, who was Kentucky’s most lethal attacker throughout the postseason and was the hitter of focus in UK’s biggest moments throughout this run, finished with a season-high 26 kills. Madi and Avery Skinner added 19 and 14 apiece while Madison Lilley finished with 53 assists and led the team with 19 digs. Senior libero Gabby Curry added 14 digs herself along with 13 assists.

They were the best team all season long and they were the best team tonight. They dominated the country. They dominated this tournament. Kentucky swept their first three NCAA Tournament matches 3-0 and only needed four sets to get the job done in the Final Four and National Championship game.

These girls deserved this. Craig Skinner deserved this. He’s built one of the best programs in the country and it took 16 years. He arrived in 2005 with a program that wasn’t on the national radar and hadn’t made an NCAA Tournament in 11 years. Now, he’s turned them into a National Championship winner.

It’s a landmark achievement for UK Athletics. NCAA Titles in new sports don’t come around often, so cherish this team and this moment. After the overwhelming sadness of the past few days, this 2021 Kentucky Volleyball team united the fanbase with some desperately needed joy and positivity.

Congrats to the 2021 Kentucky Volleyball team. National Champions!!!