Kentucky is set to take on No. 7 Penn State in a top-ten matchup at Historic Memorial Coliseum on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Wildcats will try to get their first-ranked win of the early season after dropping their first game of the season to No. 2 Nebraska. Since that match, Kentucky won the Bluegrass Battle by going 3-0 against fellow Kentucky schools.
While the previous weekend may have been akin to a “tune-up,” head coach Craig Skinner is known for enjoying a very difficult out-of-conference schedule to get ready for SEC play.
“In our program, you can’t beat the best unless you play the best,” Skinner said to the UK Sports Network. “We want to play the top teams in the country.”
As for Penn State, the Nittany Lions are looking to add to perhaps the best resume in college volleyball as the matchup will be their third against a ranked opponent.
Penn State first went to Knoxville to play No. 17 Tennessee where it won in four sets and, in their last match, the Nittany Lions swept No. 4 Louisville on Tuesday.
Penn State is led by outside hitter Jess Mruzik, who was picked on the All-Big Ten Preseason Team and hasn’t disappointed. Mruzik leads the team with 4.63 kills per set and does it with an impressive .400 hitting percentage.
As for the Cats, Kentucky is led by two sophomores who have only improved on their great freshman years.
Offensively, the Cats are led by Brooklyn DeLeye, who was the SEC Freshman of the Year. DeLeye tied her career high in kills in the third game of the season with 25 against Western Kentucky.
Defensively, Kentucky is led by Molly Tuozzo, who was moved to libero the last two games and has been strong. Tuozzo tied her career-high in digs with 16 against Morehead State, which included a highlight play.
Naturally, against such a strong opponent, questions have emerged regarding whether or not Skinner will keep Tuozzo at libero or if he goes back to the experienced senior in Eleanor Beavin.
Regardless, fans are surely in for a major college volleyball showdown. With the stage set, the game will be aired on SEC Network at 7:00 p.m. ET.
