Trading brooms: Kentucky VB's Sunday victory avenges Saturday blues
What if I told you that the two best teams in the SEC were set to play two matches in two days and only six sets were required? If the two top dogs in the conference split the weekend series, would that be even crazier? No. 18 Kentucky and No. 10 Florida sure know a thing or two about this. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, volleyball in the Southeastern Conference.
Coming into the weekend, Florida and Kentucky were tied atop the SEC standings. As the hours on this fine Sunday tick away, the Gators and Wildcats remain in a deadlock. Both squads have two matches remaining on their respective schedules. Florida travels to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels, while Kentucky hosts South Carolina in Lexington to wrap up the 2022 regular season.
Gainesville wasn’t welcoming early on
It wouldn’t be a dream start exactly, as head coach Craig Skinner’s squad got swept on Saturday afternoon. Sofia Victoria was a massive problem for Kentucky all match long. Victoria hit .579 on the day, only recording two errors throughout the whole match. Her 13 kills were tied for the most in the match; Adanna Rollins also had 13 for UK.
The ‘Cats got off to a good start in Gainesville, but that was quickly halted after Florida’s 6-1 scoring run. The Gators were all over the place during this run, looking truly inspired. Kentucky had no answer, as they dropped the first set 25-18.
The second and third sets were more of the same for the Wildcats. They ran into problems that plagued the team early in the season: the inability to finish sets strong. 20-20 was the score that would seem to haunt Kentucky. In both the second and third sets, the ‘Cats got to this point but would end up losing both frames.
Florida’s momentum wouldn’t wear off in what would be the final set. A three-point Kentucky lead was soon forgotten after the Gators regained the lead midway through the third. A 25-21 final set victory propelled Florida to the 3-0 sweep. What could one possibly tell their team after a defeat like this?
Enter, Coach Skinner.
Short-term memory, that’s the key
Man, oh man, what a performance Kentucky had in store for Sunday afternoon. A very competitive first set would begin to go the Wildcats’ way after Emma Grome and Azhani Tealer stuffed the Gators at the net. The block would be one of Tealer’s seven of the afternoon and put Kentucky up 19-17 in the first.
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Adanna Rollins and Erin Lamb both grabbed their fourth kills later in the set as the ‘Cats won the opener 25-23. The second set would have even more late drama.
An Eleanor Beavin dig that led to a Rollins kill had Kentucky up four, but Florida would fight back. Rutherford’s kill moments later tied the score at 20, the seventh tie of the set. With the Wildcats facing set point, down 24-23, they locked in. Backs against the wall, Kentucky stormed back with a 3-0 run. Rollins’ ninth kill of the match was the all-important one that won the second set for the Wildcats.
With the sweep looming, Kentucky was able to win the third set comfortably. Tealer smashed one of her 11 kills right down the middle of Florida’s defense to put UK up four early in the third. The block party in Gainesville would continue after Rutherford and Tealer sent one back as Florida began to bleed out. Nothing was going to stop the ‘Cats as they won the third set 25-17.
Sweep successful.
Crystal ball time
The sweep today was UK’s eighth of the year, the last one coming at Georgia on Nov. 2. With an 18-7 (13-3 SEC) record, Kentucky has the same conference mark as Florida does. If both squads win out, they will both share the SEC crown, which they’ve already done twice in 2017 and 2019. While sharing isn’t everyone’s favorite, that’s the best result that the Wildcats can hope for if Florida wins both of their remaining matchups. I suppose that’s some way of getting into the holiday spirit. Kind of.
We’re a week out from Selection Sunday, where Kentucky’s ultimate fate will be decided. If the ‘Cats finish as a top-16 team, they’ll be eligible to host regional play in Lexington come tournament time. It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year.
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