Rutherford Returns, No. 23 Kentucky Sweeps No. 10 Tennessee in Knoxville

Thanks to a balanced offensive performance across the net and the return of senior right side hitter Reagan Rutherford, the No. 23 Kentucky volleyball team picked up its first sweep of the season Sunday afternoon, downing No. 10 Tennessee in straight sets in Knoxville (25-20, 26-24, 27-25). 

When these two teams met in late September, the Vols easily handled Kentucky inside of Rupp Arena, sweeping the Cats for their first win in Lexington since 2010. The Cats hit just .134 through three sets of play and totaled only 36 kills as a team. 

But Sunday’s match proved to be a different story, in large part because Rutherford, who hadn’t played in a match since September 17 due to injury, returned to the lineup for her first match of Southeastern Conference play. 

She wasted no time settling back into the offense, as she found the floor with six kills on six swings in the first set alone. The Cats totaled a whopping 20 total kills on a sweltering .514 clip in that first frame and set the tone for the remainder of the match. 

Despite the offense struggling mightily in their first meeting, Kentucky had no trouble scoring this time around as they recorded 52 team kills and hit at a .356 clip. Emma Grome carved up the Tennessee defense all day long as she dished out 42 assists and helped four other Wildcats register at least eight kills. 

After having only five kills in the first match, freshman outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye totaled 13 kills on a .367 clip with just two errors in the second go around. Middle Blockers Azhani Tealer and Elise Goetzinger were superb out of the middle as each added 12 kills, and Rutherford had eight. 

Defensively, reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week Eleanor Beavin picked up a match-high 14 digs. Audrey Whitworth added 10 of her own and DeLeye had eight. At the net, Goetzinger paced the Wildcats with 4.0 blocks. Rutherford and Tealer each had three and Megan Wilson added two. 

With the win, Kentucky improves to 8-7 on the year and 6-1 in the SEC. It’s the first time this season that the Cats have sat above the .500 mark. Tennessee falls to 16-2 and 7-1 in the SEC. Prior to Sunday’s match, the Vols had lost only seven sets all year and were riding an 11-match winning streak, dating back to a five-set loss at No. 1 Wisconsin on September 3. 

Next up, the Cats will return to Lexington for a two-match homestand beginning with Mississippi State on Friday. First serve against the Bulldogs is set for 7:00 pm and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.