No. 21 Kentucky Volleyball (2-5) failed to win a set as it suffered a 3-0 shutout loss to No. 2 Louisville on Wednesday at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
The loss is the first time the Wildcats have left a match without winning a set, with the Cardinals being the first of back-to-back top five matchups for the Wildcats.
Set one would be back and forth initially, with the Wildcats opening a 7-4 lead after a pair of service errors from the Cardinals.
After an ace from Senior Reagan Rutherford that gave Kentucky a 9-6 lead, Louisville would rally, tying the game at nine before scoring seven unanswered points to take a 16-9 lead.
Wildcat surges would periodically bring Kentucky within 5 but would not be enough as the Cardinals took a 25-19 victory in set one.
The beginning of set two would prove troublesome for Kentucky as Louisville opened the set with our straight points before a Cardinal service error gave the Wildcats their first chance to serve.
The Wildcats would flip the script, scoring four straight points including an ace from junior Emma Grome to tie the set at five.
Kentucky would hold its first lead of the set three points later after a kill from Rutherford that saw the Wildcats take a 7-6 lead.
Louisville would then go on another four-point run as it took a 7-10 lead with the following points going back and forth between teams.
A late surge from Kentucky would tie the game at 21, with an ace from freshman Molly Tuozzo putting the Wildcats ahead as they inched closer to the target score of 25.
The teams would split the next two points with Kentucky holding a 23-22 lead. However, Louisville would score three unanswered points as the Cardinals drew within one game of victory.
Set three would open with a 2-0 Kentucky lead after an ace from junior Eleanor Beavin, with the Wildcats taking four of the next six points and commanding a 6-2 lead.
The Cardinals would follow with a six-point run and push the score to 8-6, with back-and-forth points being followed by a Cardinal attack error as the Wildcats tied the game at 10.
Louisville would control the rest of the game despite protest from the Wildcats that brought the game within two, but the Wildcat surges proved pointless as the Cardinals took set three with a score of 25-18 as Louisville secured the 3-0 victory.
The Wildcats will look to get back on track as they hit the road to face yet another formidable opponent in No. 4 Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska on Sunday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. EST.
