No. 12 Kentucky took on unranked Missouri Sunday in what would be a dominant showing for the Wildcats as they would win via a 3-0 sweep.
The match would start dead even, with both teams tied at eight each. Kentucky would then go on a 4-0 run, taking the lead and extending it to 12-8.
The Wildcats would be the first to 15, leading 15-10 after a Missouri service error.
They would continue to hold their lead and force a Missouri timeout after a kill from Brooke Bultema extended the lead to 18-12.
Missouri would cut the lead to three coming out of the timeout, forcing a UK timeout at 19-16 with the set tightening up before the Wildcats would end the set on a 6-2 run, winning the set 25-18 after Haley Melby ended a wild rally to win the set.
The Wildcats would start set two off with a 4-1 run that gave them a nice cushion, but Missouri would come back in spurts, eventually tying the set 11-11.
The Wildcats would still be the first to 15 thanks to blocks from Brooklyn DeLeye, Bultema and Megan Wilson.
Missouri would then use its second and final timeout of the set after a 4-0 run by Kentucky was capped off by an Ava Sarafa ace, putting the Cats up 20-15. The Wildcats would win set two 25-20 after a Missouri attacking error.
The third set would start off on a different tune, with Missouri charging ahead with a 3-1 lead after a Kentucky service error. The Wildcats would storm back with a 4-0 run of their own, however, in which Bultema extended the lead to 5-3 with a kill.
Kentucky would continue to push on, forcing a Missouri timeout after a kill by Melby put the Cats ahead 8-5. The Wildcats would once again be the first to 15, leading 15-10 after a monster kill by DeLeye.
Missouri would rally back and cut the lead to just two, trailing 18-16 when Kentucky called its first timeout of the set.
Kentucky would collect itself out of the timeout with a DeLeye kill and a service ace by Molly Tuozzo extending the lead and forcing the Tigers into a timeout trailing 20-16.
Missouri would again rally back after trailing 22-16 late in the third, with a 4-0 run cutting the Kentucky lead to 22-20. Kentucky would call a timeout to regroup.
The Wildcats would respond as they had all day, exploding out of the timeout with a 3-1 run that ended the set with a Missouri attack error. Kentucky ultimately won the set 25-21 and swept the Missouri Tigers.
“I think that started in practice, we really took the meaning of we practice like we play,” Bultema said.
The Wildcats have had problems putting teams away at times this season, but that wasn’t the case against the Tigers as they continued to stay ahead even when things got tight in the third and ultimately final set.
“It’s great, I mean, finally, right?” Emma Grome said following the win. “We’ve been working, we’ve been working towards this all year and so, to finally be able to finish a team in three, it was really rewarding.”
The Wildcats return next Sunday at home against No. 7 Texas at Historic Memorial Coliseum at 1:00 p.m. The match will air live on ESPN.
