No. 19 Kentucky stretched its win streak to six matches after toppling Ole Miss 3-1 inside Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday.   

With the win, Kentucky remains near the top of the SEC standings, improving its conference record to 6-1.

“The SEC is tough this year as we witness all across the league in different matches,” Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner said. “We need to expect more matches like this (moving forward).” 

Ole Miss was beaten down by Kentucky’s hammering hitters throughout the contest, with four Wildcats finishing with ten or more kills on the night. 

Reagan Rutherford ignited Kentucky with five kills and three blocks early on. helping the Wildcats to win the first set over Ole Miss 25-15. 

Despite the lopsided first set win, the Rebels retaliated with a 6-0 scoring run to begin the second set, going on to lead 21-13. 

The Wildcats surged back to narrow the gap though, eventually tying the match at 22-22 thanks to multiple kills by Kentucky’s Azhani Tealer. 

Both teams went back and forth but, in the end, Kentucky’s passionate efforts were insufficient as several early errors plagued their chances and the Rebels took down Kentucky 26-28 in the second set.

Entering the third set Ole Miss took a 6-3 lead, but Kentucky bounced back by pioneering a 12-0 scoring run in big part thanks to setter Emma Grome, who recorded four serving aces during the Wildcats’ comeback.

Kentucky’s Bella Bell and Adanna Rollins tallied four kills each, giving the Cats a decisive 25-12 third set victory. 

The momentum carried over into the fourth set as the Wildcats prevailed, taking a 3-1 match victory over Ole Miss. 

Kentucky next travels to College Station, Texas, to face Texas A&M in its next matchup on Saturday, Oct. 22.