Sunday, Sept. 19, proved to be a victorious day for UK athletics, as all four teams who were in action defeated their opponents in Lexington. 

Women’s Softball

Kentucky softball, fresh off of an NCAA Super Regional appearance last season, defeated Louisville 5-4 in their fall season opener at John Cropp Stadium.

After allowing four runs early, Wildcat pitchers did not give up a run in the final seven innings, retiring 15 consecutive Cardinals.

Freshman Izzy Harrison delivered the game-winning run via a sacrifice fly, scoring Kentucky’s fifth unanswered run of the game. Emma Boitnott and Rylea Smith both collected two-RBI hits for the Wildcats. 

Kentucky will travel to Columbus for its second fall game of the year, taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, Sept. 26. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. E.T.

Women’s Volleyball

No. 8 Kentucky volleyball earned its first ranked win of the season, defeating No. 16 Stanford 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10) at Memorial Coliseum.

Sophomore Madi Skinner led the way for Kentucky with a career-high 24 kills, including six in the fifth set. 

Skinner spiked the final three points for the Wildcats in front of 3,642 fans, the eighth-largest crowd in program history. 

Azhani Tealer tied her personal best in kills; the junior logged 18 eliminations against the Cardinals. Freshman setter Emma Grome accumulated a career-high 58 assists. Kentucky finished the match with a .304 hitting percentage.

The win improved Kentucky’s record to 7-3 on the year. The Cats will begin conference play on Friday, Sept. 24, hosting the Missouri Tigers at Memorial Coliseum at 8 p.m. E.T.

Men’s Soccer

No. 17 Kentucky men’s soccer remained undefeated, defeating Western Michigan 1-0 at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. 

Following a near two-hour lighting delay, UK earned their fourth clean-sheet of the season, holding the Broncos to just seven shots. 

Kentucky broke the deadlock in the 74th minute; senior forward Brock Lindow scored his first goal of the season, putting away a rebound after WMU goalkeeper Isaac Walker deflected a shot from Lucca Rodrigues.

The win makes five in a row for UK, setting up an important C-USA clash as the Wildcats head to Huntington, West Virginia, to take on No. 6 Marshall on Saturday, Sept. 25. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. E.T.

Women’s Soccer

After the conclusion of the men’s match, Kentucky women’s soccer took the field, recording a shutout of their own, defeating the in-state Bellarmine Knights, 4-0.

In the 30th minute, Hannah Richardson made the first goal for the Wildcats. The junior striker followed up with a second goal just four minutes later. Richardson’s multi-goal effort is her third of the season.

Kentucky would get a third goal in a seven-minute span, as Sara Makoben-Blessing collected her second assist of the match, passing to Miranda Jimenez who connected from outside the penalty box for her second goal of the season.

Maria Olsen would score the fourth and final goal of the night, the sophomore’s first of the season. Kentucky outshot the Knights 19-3 while not allowing a corner kick in 90 minutes. 

UK improved to -2-2 with the victory and will return to SEC play on Thursday, Sept. 23, traveling to Gainesville, Florida, for a date with the Florida Gators. The match is set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. E.T.