UK volleyball takes firm control of SEC. See how the Cats crushed Florida.
On paper, the University of Kentucky volleyball team faced the scariest opponent remaining on its regular-season schedule on Wednesday night in Memorial Coliseum. Ranked one spot ahead of the Wildcats in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll at No. 11, Florida entered its Halloween night matchup with UK on a roll, having won 15 of its last 16 contests.
But the Gators were no match for the Cats. Behind monster nights from All-America junior Leah Edmond and sophomore setter Madison Lilley, Kentucky dominated Florida 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-20), taking firm control in the race for the Southeastern Conference regular-season title with its 14th straight win.
Edmond was again a force up front, coming up with a game-high 16 kills. Lilley put her teammates in the right position all night, finishing with 33 assists, three more than Florida’s entire team.
“Madison (Lilley) is a very smart setter,” said Edmond. “Any set she gives anybody is going to be good.”
Edmond said every win against the Gators is extra sweet.
“It’s always fun to sweep Florida, especially at home,” she said. “Especially knowing that they’re our big competition in the SEC right now.”
UK went on a 19-10 run in the first set to take control. With the Cats leading 15-12 in the second set, the teams went back and forth on the longest volley of the game, but Edmond won the point with a devastating kill.
That turn of events seemed to deflate the Gators. UK finished the set on a 9-3 run. Fittingly, Edmond sealed the match with another huge spike for the final point in the third set.
The Wildcats had little trouble with a Florida defense that had appeared ascendent of late. In two of their last three outings the Gators broke program records for most blocks in a match, with 23 against Mississippi and 23.5 against Missouri. Against UK, Florida managed just two blocks.
“You’ve got to give credit to our passers,” said UK Coach Craig Skinner when asked how the Cats managed to allow so few blocks. “(Madison Lilley) made some great decisions. They were scheming on some players early in the match and she recognized that, then they were scheming the other way in the second set and she recognized that. So Madison did a great job making decisions on who to set and get the one-on-one blocking opportunity.”
After UK’s sweep of South Carolina last Sunday, Lilley told reporters that the Cats were excited to finally face the Gators because they’d had the match circled on the schedule for some time. After Wednesday’s win, she said a couple of strong days of preparation paid off.
“We handled the attention and we really focused on our scouting report and came out and executed well. We’re all really proud of the way we played.
“Our offense was rolling tonight and our passing was really good,” Lilley said. “We found different ways to exploit their block which was really fun. It allowed a lot of one-on-one opportunities and we can terminate really well when we’re in those situations.”
Edmond also credited the raucous crowd of 2,717 with helping the Cats get off to a fast start and never look back.
“It was so much fun,” Edmond said. “Having the energy from the crowd ... is really helpful and it’s loud and messes with the other team as well, which is always nice.”
With the win, UK improved to 17-4 overall and 11-0 in league play. The Wildcats are now two games ahead of Florida and Missouri with seven matches left in the regular season. UK knocked off Missouri 3-1 in Lexington in late September and will face the Tigers in Columbia on Nov. 18. Wednesday marked the only regular-season meeting between UK and Florida.
Tennessee sits alone in fourth place at 9-2. UK won both of its matches against the Volunteers, 3-1. Every other SEC team has at least five losses in league play.
Next game
No. 12 Kentucky at Ole Miss
When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday
This story was originally published October 31, 2018 at 8:48 PM.