Tuozzo, DeLeye Shine as No. 13 Kentucky Sweeps Aside Texas A&M

Brooklyn DeLeye totaled 20 kills and Molly Tuozzo picked up 22 digs as No. 13 Kentucky downed Texas A&M in straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-14) Friday night inside Historic Memorial Coliseum for its sixth-straight victory.

Defense proved to be the central theme in the match against the Aggies as the Wildcats held A&M to just .091 hitting on the evening. The Aggies saw only one player hit above .118 in the match as no one finished with more than ten kills through the three sets of play. In the third set alone, Texas A&M tallied five kills with seven errors, good for a slugging percentage of just -.071.

Tuozzo was a big part of the Cats’ defensive effort as she picked up a staggering 22 digs to go along with a service ace and a trio of assists. Senior setter Emma Grome added 11 digs of her own, Asia Thigpen had seven, and Eleanor Beavin picked up five.

Brooke Bultema had a big night at the net as she led all players with six rejections. Grome and DeLeye each added three, and Jordyn Dailey, Megan Wilson, and Thigpen all added one as the Cats finished with 8.0 blocks as a team.

Grome dished out 42 assists on the evening as DeLeye paced the offensive attack with her 20 kills on a .283 clip. Thigpen eclipsed double figures with 13 kills of her own as she continued to settle into her starting role at the second outside hitter position. Wilson, Dailey, and Bultema each added four kills respectively as well.

With the victory, Kentucky improves to 15-7 on the season and 8-2 in the Southeastern Conference as they remain in first place atop the league with five matches left in the season.. The Missouri Tigers remain a half game back from the Wildcats as they also boast an 8-2 record with six games left to play. Next up, Kentucky will once again take the court inside Memorial Coliseum as they take on the LSU Tigers Sunday. First serve against LSU is set for 4:30 pm ET and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.