Trip to the 'Sip goes as planned: Kentucky VB wins fifth straight
The Late Night Show, but make it Starkville edition. No. 19 Kentucky volleyball kept its good mojo going, this time in enemy territory. A 3-1 victory over Mississippi State gave the Wildcats their 11th win in their last 12 matches.
Kentucky now boasts a 16-6 (11-2) record, tied with Florida for best in the SEC. The ‘Cats will have a chance to face off against the Gators later in the month, which could prove to be a weekend series to decide the SEC. For the present, the focus was on the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. That focus was kept.
Shoot there goes the streak
Maybe a bittersweet start to the match, but that didn’t leave Kentucky rattled. After sweeping their last three opponents, the ‘Cats finally dropped a set. This time it was the opener, but remember. It’s not how you start but how you finish.
Kentucky may have been dripped out in its black uniforms, but Mississippi State didn’t seem to care early on. The Bulldogs flew out of the gate, taking a 10-4 lead quickly. An Elise Goetzinger kill made it 13-13 but State was determined to take the first. Kentucky saved two set points, thanks in part to Reagan Rutherford who came up huge with a block. However, the bulldogs were able to win the next point and take the opener 25-23.
Adanna Rollins led the squad with five kills in the first but wasn’t going to stop there. She continued her fabulous play with another kill to make it 15-14 UK in the second set. Mark it down at this point, when the Wildcats really turned the match around.
The SEC Setter of the Week, Emma Grome, added an ace and then Goetzinger grabbed another kill and it was a 5-0 run for the visiting Wildcats. Grome finished the match with 54 assists. I think we could see a sixth SEC Setter of the Week award in her future.
Azhani Tealer and Rutherford helped with a couple of kills and the match was even at one.
Time for Takeover
Rutherford was getting some shouts later in the match for SEC Player of the Year by the announcers. Her performance in Starkville will surely help her case. She grabbed her ninth kill of the match in the third set to cut the Bulldog lead to 12-10. Her teammates made sure that she wasn’t alone.
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Rollins chipped in a little while later with her 12th termination to put Kentucky up two in the set. Freshman Haley Melby assisted the cause with a kill that gave the ‘Cats a 23-18 lead. Melby showed up big time on the road, recording nine kills on the night. Kentucky went on to win the third 25-20.
A Tealer kill that put the blue and white up 8-7 was the turning point in what would end up being the final set.
Bella Bell had her name all over the fourth set. Her kill capped off a 5-0 scoring run that saw the ‘Cats lead by seven. If that wasn’t enough, she made her presence felt at the net with a block that made it 20-13. If you had a guess to who would put the dagger through the cowbell faithful who would you say?
It was Rutherford. Her back-to-back left-handed spikes weren’t answered by any Mississippi State player and Kentucky found themselves celebrating a 3-1 road dub.
What’s next? It’s back to Lexington to await the Volunteers. Kentucky gets to stay home until Wednesday approaches and a date with Tennessee is on the cards. After that, the much anticipated Florida weekend series. Think of two bullet trains heading for one another, the two best teams in the conference. As always, Tennessee is first. Match by match.
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