No.10 Kentucky volleyball participated in the Doubletree Invitational at the Moody Coliseum in Texas, splitting the event 1-1.
In their first match, the Cats faced off against the hosts of the tournament, SMU.
In the first set, both teams started off slow offensively with both having many errors. Despite that, Kentucky’s defense was outstanding, holding SMU to a .094 clip in the first set.
Offensively, Kentucky was led by Brooklyn DeLeye in this first set as she had five kills. Megan Wilson also added four kills herself.
The second set was the complete opposite as the offenses both came alive in the set.
After the Cats led 20-14 in the second set, SMU made a great comeback to tie the score at 24. Undeterred, Kentucky answered by winning the next two points and the set 26-24.
Kentucky hit at a .457 clip, which was not so far off the Mustangs, which hit at a .455 clip.
It was another close set in the third with Kentucky being the one making the comeback.
After being down 16-12, Kentucky went on a 5-1 run, tying the score at 17. The Cats eventually went on to win the third set 25-21, sweeping SMU.
Wilson had her best game of the season, having ten kills on a .409 clip. Jordan Dailey also had a great game, having seven blocks in the middle.
In their next game, the Cats took on No. 7 Purdue.
It was a great first set for Kentucky, which won the set 25-21. The story of the set was a very balanced attack, led by Erin Lamb, who had five kills. Wilson added four and DeLeye had three of her own. The Cats hit at a .302 clip and held Purdue to a clip of .216.
In the second set, Purdue started off hot, leading 10-3 early and didn’t look back, winning the set 25-13.
In the third set, Purdue started off the same, leading 10-3, but, this time, Kentucky battled its way back, tying the set at 23. Purdue avoided the choke, winning the next two points and the set 25-23.
It was another slow start for Kentucky in the fourth set as the Cats found themselves trailing 12-5 early and Purdue didn’t look back, dominating the set 25-16 and taking the match in four sets 3-1.
Kentucky is still looking for its first ranked win of the season and will get a chance to do so in its next game on Wednesday against No. 4 Louisville at 7 p.m. ET at Historic Memorial Coliseum.
