UK volleyball finished its regular season play on Friday with a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-21, 25-14) over Georgia. 

With this win, UK earned a share of the SEC title. This is the sixth time in program history, and the first since 1988, that UK has been named SEC Champions.

The Cats started strong against the Bulldogs trying to find a rhythm, and a lead of 5-2 was soon established by their outside hitters. 

It was hard for Georgia to defend Kentucky when the Cats got a well-established lead. Georgia tried to cut every Kentucky run, but the Cats still won the first set.

In the second set, Kentucky carried that energy from the first set and Georgia had a difficult time slowing Kentucky’s offense.

The Cats established another lead at 15-11, and they soon ran away with the score. The Bulldogs were fighting to stay within reach of Kentucky as Rachel Ritchie had 11 kills for Georgia. However, it was no comparison to Kentucky’s hitting percentage at .336. 

Another key element for Kentucky in the second set was the fact that they sided out at 76 percent, meaning that the Bulldogs were not able to put up points against Kentucky’s defense. With Kentucky hitting the ball so well, the Cats ran away with the second set as well. 

The third set is when Kentucky dominated and were trying to close the match with two set wins already.

The Bulldogs were not giving up and managed to keep the score within one or two points of the Cats, until Leah Edmond started to connect to some hard-hitting balls.

The Kentucky team as a whole was playing well on both ends of the floor by hitting well and not letting Georgia score many points. After winning the third set, Kentucky earned its share of the SEC Championship.

Next up for the Cats is the NCAA Tournament, which begins Nov. 30. The Cats will find out their placement in the bracket on Sunday when the selection show airs on ESPNU at 9 a.m.