Cats Sweep the Gamecocks for 13th Consecutive Win
Junior middle blocker Kaz Brown (7) attacks the ball during the match against South Carolina on Friday, October 21, 2016 in Lexington, Ky.
October 22, 2016
The No. 21 UK women’s volleyball team (16-4, 9-0 SEC) swept the South Carolina Gamecocks Friday in straight sets (25-11, 25-20, 31-29) behind some powerful offensive performances from junior Kaz Brown and freshman Leah Edmond.
The Cats offense started off the game on fire, jumping out to a quick 8-1 lead and grabbing 14 of the match’s first 20 points. The Gamecocks got no closer than eight points, and UK cruised to an easy 25-11 set victory.
South Carolina came out in the second set hungry, running out to a quick 6-0 lead. The Cats closed the gap to two points at 14-16, at which point Edmond and Brown took over. The two accounted for 10 of the team’s next 11 points, closing out the set 25-20.
The third set started off a completely different story, with neither team grabbing a lead of more than three points until South Carolina snagged a four-point advantage behind a 9-2 run at 16-12. However, UK recovered and tie the contest at 17-17.
The match went back and forth for the remainder of the set, causing the match to go into extra points after a tie at 25-all. South Carolina grabbed the lead at 29-28, bringing up set point. However, UK went on to score three straight points, finishing off the set and the match 31-29.
Much of the Cats’ offensive success could be attributed to sophomore setter Olivia Dailey, who dished out 43 of the team’s 50 total assists. Brown found herself on the receiving end of several of those, notching a season-high 17 kills and hitting a blistering percentage of .800.
“She’s got some of the best hands I’ve ever seen,” Brown said of Dailey. “I mean she knows where to get the ball. She’s very cerebral and I think she’s a very key part to our offense. We’re very lucky to have her.”
Outside hitter Leah Edmond had another fantastic night, grabbing her fifth double-double of the season behind 14 kills and a career-high 13 digs.
The Cats return to action Sunday when they face the Missouri Tigers (17-3, 8-0 SEC) at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. Missouri is the only other team that’s undefeated in the SEC, sitting at the top of the conference with the Cats. The winner of Sunday’s match will take first place atop the conference.
