Seniors Power No. 19 Kentucky Volleyball Past No. 21 Houston

Thanks to a couple of stellar performances from seniors Elise Goetzinger and Reagan Rutherford, the No. 19 Kentucky volleyball team picked up its first marquee win of the 2023 season Friday night, knocking off No. 21 Houston in four sets in match one of the Stacey Clark Classic (25-21, 18-25, 25-17, 25-22). 

Goetzinger and freshman Brooklyn DeLeye led the offensive attack for the Cats, as each totaled 13 kills and hit at least .300 on the evening. Rutherford was the final Wildcat to eclipse double figures, as she added 11 kills to go along with a trio of service aces. Azhani Tealer had seven kills of her own and Megan Wilson and Erin Lamb each had five. 

Junior setter Emma Grome had an excellent night directing the Kentucky attack, as the Cats recorded 56 total kills on a .279 clip. Grome dished out a match-high 45 assists and added two kills in the winning effort. 

Defensively, Rutherford put up a great all-around effort, recording a match-high 19 digs and two blocks. Junior Eleanor Beavin added 11 digs of her own and Audrey Whitworth had ten. At the net, Tealer proved to be a wall for the Cats, sending back 4.0 blocks through just two sets of play. DeLeye added three rejections of her own and Rutherford and Jordyn Williams each added two. 

With the win, Kentucky improves to 2-3 on the season and is set to take on No. 20 Purdue Saturday night. The Boilermakers took down SMU Friday in four sets to set up the championship match against the Wildcats. First serve is set for 7 pm ET and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.