No. 3 seed Kentucky volleyball (21-7, 14-2 SEC) swept Cleveland State (23-10, 11-7 HL) 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-16) in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Wildcats were dominant in all areas allowing for the sweep. The defense combined for seven blocks and only allowed two service aces while holding Cleveland State to a .114% hitting percentage. The offense combined for 45 kills with just nine errors leading to a team hitting percentage of .391%, their second highest in a match this season.
“Our team did a good job of producing offensively and holding Cleveland States attackers to a low percentage,” Head Coach Craig Skinner said. “Always pleased to play well enough to advance in the tournament.”
Kentucky started set one with a 9-2 run led by three quick kills for Brooklyn DeLeye. This resulted in an early first timeout for Cleveland State.
The Vikings fought back following the timeout to cut the Kentucky lead to 13-10, which prompted a 5-1 run by the Wildcats that was capped off by a service ace from DeLeye.
Kentucky continued to grow its lead following the Vikings timeout until a kill from Jordyn Dailey forced set point at 24-14. Dailey followed this up with her fourth kill of the set, allowing Kentucky to win the first set 25-15.
The Wildcats played very well in set one, recording a hitting percentage of .424% with 18 kills. DeLeye lead the Wildcats with six kills and a service ace. Erin Lamb also stood out with three kills and two blocks.
Set two started off close with neither team holding a lead larger than two points until Kentucky went on a 3-0 run to break a 7-7 tie. This led to the first timeout of set two for Cleveland State.
After the Vikings brought a 2-0 run out of the timeout, Kentucky responded with a 7-1 run of its own. This gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the set at 17-10 and forced Cleveland State to call its second timeout of the set.
The Wildcats didn’t slow down following the timeout, as Lamb won the second set for Kentucky with a kill that made the score 25-14.
The Wildcats were great in set two, recording 15 kills with just two errors and hitting .419 as a team. The Vikings struggled mightily recording just nine kills with six errors while only hitting .088%.
DeLeye led the Cats attack in the second set with six kills and a service ace. Megan Wilson helped round out the attack, recording five kills at a .556% hitting percentage with a service ace of her own. Emma Grome did an excellent job on both sides in set two with five digs and 10 assists.
Kentucky began set three red hot with a 5-0 run that forced an early timeout for the Vikings. Most of the early damage for Cleveland State was self-inflicted as the first four points came from Viking errors.
Cleveland State managed to win two rallies following its timeout but quickly relinquished a 3-0 Kentucky run. The Vikings called their second timeout of the set facing an early seven-point deficit.
Kentucky maintained its lead and forced match point at 24-16 with a kill from Lamb. In the next rally, a block from Dailey and Wilson secured set three for the Wildcats. This completed a 3-0 sweep for Kentucky to secure a first-round victory.
DeLeye finished with 15 kills and three service aces while hitting .481%. Lamb had a hitting percentage of .444 and recorded 10 kills for the fifth time this season. Grome led the team with 33 assists.
“You can’t really leave any of our front row players unattended,” Lamb said. “Brooklyn’s awesome, it’s no surprise people have to pay so much attention to her. Because she put so much time, energy, effort into the game.”
The Wildcats will take on No. 6 seeded Minnesota in its second-round match on Friday, Dec. 6, at Historic Memorial Coliseum with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will be shown live on ESPN +.