UK volleyball clinches third straight SEC title, now awaits NCAA tourney draw
Once again lifted by a dominant match from senior star Leah Edmond, the University of Kentucky volleyball team swept Mississippi 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-13) in front of an announced crowd of 2,444 in Memorial Coliseum on Saturday to clinch the program’s third straight Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and seventh overall.
Honored before the match along with fellow seniors Caitlyn Cooper, Leah Meyer and Kylie Schmaltz, Edmond posted a double-double against the Rebels. She had a match-high 13 kills along with 10 digs. Six of Edmonds’ kills came in the tightly-contested opening set, which Mississippi (14-15, 6-12 SEC) tied 16-16 before the Cats went on a 4-0 run to reclaim momentum.
In the second set, the teams traded leads before UK used another 4-0 run to push ahead 19-15. In set three, Alli Stumler’s ninth kill of the match gave Kentucky a 10-4 lead and prompted a Mississippi timeout. The stoppage didn’t help, as the Cats went on to build an eight-point gap at 17-9 and cruised from there.
Madison Lilley had assists on 38 of Kentucky’s 47 kills and added five digs and three service aces. Meyer had seven kills while Cooper added six. Stumler was second to Edmond with 11 kills on the afternoon. The sophomore from Indiana also had five digs.
With the win, Kentucky (23-6, 16-2 SEC) secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 14 in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll, will learn their NCAA draw when the 64-team field is revealed Sunday night. The Wildcats are hosting a watch party in Memorial Coliseum, which will be free and open to the public. Fans can watch the selection show along with the team on the big screen televisions inside the gym. Doors will open at 8 p.m.
Sunday
NCAA Tournament Selection Show
8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
This story was originally published November 30, 2019 at 6:27 PM.
