Unranked UK volleyball (10-4) traveled to Florida Wednesday night and shocked the Gators in straight sets for the first time since 1990.

The victory over no. 5 Florida marks the second-consecutive year that the Cats have defeated Florida on the road, a feat that hasn’t been achieved since the 1987 and 1989 seasons. It is also the second straight year that the Wildcats have defeated Florida when they were ranked as a top-5 team.

The Cats’ victory was due in large part to the spectacular play of freshman outside hitter, Leah Edmond. Edmond notched another 19 kills in her first SEC road match, hitting on a .325 clip. The freshman also accounted for seven digs.

Defensively, UK wreaked havoc on Florida, causing them to hit a mere .128 for the match. The Gators were limited to only 30 kills for the entire contest, while the Cats grabbed 49 total.

Head coach Craig Skinner was very pleased with his team’s ability to win in a tough environment, and credited much of the win to their impressive defensive performance. 

“We’ve really bought in to our defensive philosophy. (Assistant coaches) Lindsey (Walton-Grey) and Anders (Nelson) did a great job with our serving and defensive plans and our team continues to execute”, said Skinner. 

Other notable performers included Junior middle blocker Kaz Brown, who grabbed seven of UK’s 11 total blocks, and SEC Player of the Week, Olivia Dailey, who dished out 37 assists along with a pair of blocks.

The Cats will be back in action on the road against the 13-1 South Carolina Gamecocks Sunday at 1:30, and look to hold on to their spot atop the SEC conference at 3-0.