On Washington’s serve, Eva Hudson waited on the outside, timing the set to spike the ball, breaking Kentucky’s record for the most kills in a three-set match.
No. 6 Kentucky volleyball (8-2) swept the Washington Huskies (5-5) in a three-set match to round out conference play where Hudson etched her way into Kentucky history books by breaking the team three-set kill record.
In a neck and neck final set, Hudson broke the record with 28 kills, breaking Leah Edmond’s 2018 record of 22.
“That’s a ridiculous number (28 kills), and most of those kills were against two blockers, you know, so having that type of range as an attacker is elite,” Kentucky volleyball Head Coach Craig Skinner said.
The final non-conference match of the season was off to a fiery start with the Wildcats and Huskies trading leads early in the first set.
After going back-and-forth since the first whistle, Kentucky began trailing and Washington extended its lead over the Wildcats by as many as six points.
Kentucky came out of its second timeout of the set trailing 17-11. The Huskies kept the Cats in the rearview at 20-15 until Kassie O’Brien stepped up to the service line.
Bouncing the ball four times before every serve, O’Brien led the Cats to score five consecutive points on her serve bringing the score to 20-20 and creating a wave of momentum that propelled them to win the set.
Hudson’s fifth kill of the match won the set for Kentucky and foreshadowed her breakout in the final two sets.
“I knew our team needed something to get going and I knew I could do it,” Hudson said.
Hudson recorded 12 kills in the second set and 11 in the third making for a combined 23 kills in the final two sets alone earning the title of SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
Her performance marked the first time any NCAA volleyball player has recorded 28 kills in three sets since 2019.
Before transferring from Purdue, Hudson led the Big Ten in kills per set at 4.81. She finished the match just two kills shy of the current single-match record set by Brooklyn DeLeye last season.
After holding onto the lead for a majority of the second set, Kentucky lost its lead to errors and the strong teamwork of Huskies Zoria Heard, Alexis Haury and Alexa Markley.
Returning from a timeout, DeLeye and Hudson showed determination to secure the second comeback of the match.
Julia Hunt did not back down at the net for the Huskies when the Cats’ drive began to show with every attack. The sophomore from Holy Cross High School in Covington, was named 2023 Ms. Kentucky Volleyball. She returned to the Bluegrass on the other side of the net for the first time as a Husky.
Despite the loss, the middle blocker hit at a 0.375 clip leading her team in efficiency throughout the match. Hunt fought to keep her team alive as the teams played match point tug-of-war.
Once again, a kill by Hudson pushed the Wildcats over at 27-25 to signal the final whistle of the set.
Steadily trailing Washington for about the first half of the third set, the Wildcats rallied to produce a four-point lead over the Huskies with a win in sight.
Much like the previous sets, Hudson stepped up to the plate to deliver the final kill, solidifying the set, the match sweep and her new Kentucky record.
Kentucky will begin the race for its ninth consecutive SEC tournament win with conference play on Wednesday, Sept. 24, when the Wildcats face off against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
