No. 16 Kentucky volleyball rebounds against Texas State

Kentucky+players+ready+themselves+to+return+a+serve+during+the+game+against+Dayton+in+the+Bluegrass+Battle+on+Friday%2C+August+31%2C+2018+in+Lexington%2C+Ky.+Photo+by+Jordan+Prather+%7C+Staff

Kentucky players ready themselves to return a serve during the game against Dayton in the Bluegrass Battle on Friday, August 31, 2018 in Lexington, Ky. Photo by Jordan Prather | Staff

Braden Ramsey

The No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats volleyball team got back on the winning path Saturday evening, defeating the Texas State Bobcats 3-1. The victory marked the fourth in five games for Kentucky, who fell to No. 6 Texas 3-1 on Friday.

Texas State came out strong on its home floor, putting the Cats in a hole early. Kentucky took four straight points to cut the deficit to two, but Cheyenne Huskey got the last two kills to win set one 25-22 and put the Bobcats up 1-0.

Kentucky looked in danger of dropping set two after falling behind 12-4, but the Cats would battle back with an 8-2 run in the middle of the set. It helped them tie it at 16 apiece before outlasting Texas State 27-25 to even up the score. Building off their second set performance, the Cats would claim the third set 25-20 and climb ahead 2-1. The lead was Kentucky’s first of the day, and one the Cats would not relinquish.

Set four was another gritty one between the two teams, but Kentucky would stand tall, winning it on a kill from Leah Edmond. The game-clinching point was her 24th kill of the day, which once again led the team.

Madison Lilley tallied another 53 assists to her name in the contest for the Cats. Amy Pflughaupt had a team-high 15 kills for Texas State, and Emily DeWalt added 31 assists.

Kentucky improved to 4-4 on the year, while the Bobcats record dropped to 5-5.

Next up for the Wildcats is a match at rival Louisville, a team that stands at 6-2 entering a game Saturday at No. 19 Purdue. Kentucky defeated the Cardinals in straight sets last season in Lexington.

The Wildcats-Cardinals matchup is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.