By Madison Tinder

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Behind a sizzling offensive display Friday night, No. 19 UK women’s volleyball cruised to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-16) season opening win over Wichita State.

The Cats (1-0) posted 43 kills during the match. Sophomore Anni Thomasson had 13 kills, junior Shelby Workman notched eight and senior Lauren O’Connor hammered over seven.

“Everybody got involved in the offense and Wichita State had a hard time knowing who she [Morgan Bergren] was going to set.” UK head coach Craig Skinner said. “I’m very happy with the way we played in our first match, who knows what to expect when you’ve been playing your own team.”

The Cats started off rocky but clawed their way back. The offense scored 15 points off 24 combined errors, but the Shockers responded with a kill down the line and an ace to cut the six-point lead down to four.

UK responded with four kills and an ace but the Shockers tipped the ball over the Cats block to make the score 20-15. UK’s Bergen responded with a shot down the middle of the court. Sophomore Kelsey Wolf dug two hammers from the Shockers, and UK’s O’Connor slammed over the ball to end the first set 25-18 UK.

Wichita State started the second set with a missed serve but rallied back with two kills to take the lead over the Cats. The Cats clawed back, utilizing the middle of the net to build an 8-5 lead. Wichita State fought back, rallying with four straight kills, but the Shockers service errors increased the Cats lead to 18-12. Devastating blocks by Workman and junior Shelby Schwarzalder, increased UK’s momentum as they then posted six straight kills to take the second set 25-14.

The third and final set opened with a blistering line shot by Workman. UK took a 1-0 lead before the Shockers took advantage of two UK errors and jumped ahead 2-1. The Cats never looked back, notching four hammers and another block by Workman and Bergren to stretch the lead to 8-4. Solid play by redshirt freshman Emily Franklin and freshman Darian Mack helped the Cats tie the bow on the match with two kills and Thomasson’s ace ended the Shockers hopes 25-16.

Thomasson led UK with a .440 hitting percentage and Wichita State posted 28 kills with along with a .122 hitting percentage.

UK returns to the court Saturday for a double-header beginning at 10 a.m. against Butler, then at 8 p.m. against Virginia Tech in Memorial Coliseum.