No. 4 Kentucky volleyball just pulled off a HUGE win, taking down No. 3 Louisville in four intense sets (19-25, 29-27, 25-21, 25-19) on Sunday. It went down in front of a completely sold-out crowd, with over 6,000 screaming fans packed into Historic Memorial Coliseum. Talk about a statement game for the Wildcats.
They Fought Back Hard
Man, did they ever have to fight for this one. After dropping the first set 19-25, it looked like maybe the Cards were going to cruise. But nope, Kentucky wasn’t having it. They came out absolutely swinging in the second set, pushing it all the way to 29 points and racking up 25 kills to tie things up. That was the turning point, right? You could feel the momentum shift. By set three, the Wildcats were hitting .211, which was way better than Louisville’s .103, and snatched it 25-21. Then, they just sealed the deal in the fourth, winning three of the last four points to close out the match. It was clinical.
DeLeye, O’Brien, and the Whole Squad Went OFF
This wasn’t just a team win; a bunch of players absolutely showed out. Senior outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye had a match-high 22 kills, telling everyone after the game that the team just kept being aggressive with their hitting choices. She knew they couldn’t “take a little bit off on your speed” against a top three team like that. And she was totally right! Beyond DeLeye, three other Wildcats hit double-digit kills: Kennedy Washington with 10, Asia Thigpen with 14, and Morgan Gaerte with 20. But seriously, can we talk about Kassie O’Brien? She was dishing dimes all day, registering a career-high 59 assists out of the team’s 69 total. That’s just wild. Head Coach Craig Skinner was hyped, calling it a “very big win for our program.” He highlighted everything from it being Louisville, to the ABC Sunday spot, to the sold-out crowd, and yeah, all those “tournament implications, RPI, momentum, belief” factors. You could feel it watching them.
This win sets up a huge stretch for the Wildcats. Up next, they hit the road for SEC play, heading to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET. Then they’re back home for a big matchup against Texas on Sunday, September 27th. If they keep bringing this kind of fire, who knows what they can accomplish this season!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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