Kentucky Volleyball acheived their biggest win in school history as they knocked off undefeated #1 Florida in Gainesville this afternoon.
Take a look at the release from UK Athletics:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – History! For just the third time in Southeastern Conference history two top-10 ranked teams squared off. The No. 8 Kentucky volleyball team exited Gainesville, Florida, with more than just a 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 23-25, 25-16) win over No. 1 Florida as a number of program records fell in the process.
For the first time in Kentucky volleyball history, the Wildcats topped the top-ranked team in the country. It is the third-consecutive win over the Gators on their home court; marking the first time in program history the Cats have achieved that feat. Florida was ranked in the top five in all three meetings. Kentucky has downed the Gators in three of its last four meetings which is the longest such streak since the Cats won six straight meetings from 1986 to 1990. The loss was the first of the season for Florida, which was the only remaining undefeated team in the country.
“I love the composure and toughness of the team after set three,” head coach Craig Skinner said. “I give a lot of credit to our seniors for leading the charge with their confidence. Darian Mack was big time Mack today. This team continues to impress us as a staff with how much they want something else, something beyond what they’ve done before.”
With the win, Kentucky improves to 16-2 overall on the season and 7-0 in league play. UK is the last remaining undefeated team in league competition. Florida falls to 13-1 overall and 5-1 against league foes.
A season ago, Kentucky walked into Gainesville and dominated defensively. This season the offense was too much for Florida to handle.
Freshman Madison Lilley directed the offense to the tune of an average of 16 kills per set on a .309 hitting percentage. She dished out 52 assists while adding four kills and 10 digs. It is the eighth double-double of the year for UK’s dynamic freshman stalwart.
Sophomore Leah Edmond led the team with a match-high 18 kills, while senior Darian Mack had a season-high 13 kills on a .379 hitting percentage. Senior Kaz Brown logged 11 kills on a .474 attacking clip to go along with a team-high four blocks. Freshman Avery Skinner had 10 kills, including the match-clinching point. Senior Emily Franklin chipped in with eight kills on a .571 clip.
“We went in and played our game,” Edmond said. “We know there are going to be runs but it’s about how we respond. We just forgot the previous play and moved on to the next one. I never go into a game thinking we’re going to lose.”
Mack, a senior, is taking it all in.
“You don’t get this opportunity often,” Mack said. “We pounced on it and had fun with it. It starts with practice. We were all working together.”
Defensively, senior libero Ashley Dusek was simply the difference maker. She posted a match-high 16 digs, but the number of plays that do not show up on the scoresheet were invaluable to UK’s success. Freshman Gabby Curry added seven digs, while junior McKenzie Watson contributed a pair.
Kentucky dominated in nearly all phases of the match. UK bettered the Gators in kills (64-46), hitting percentage (.309-.200), assists (59-44) and digs (49-46).
John Calipari tweeted about the historic victory:
Just got off the phone with @UKCoachSkinner. @KentuckyVB beat the No. 1 team in the country on the road!
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) October 15, 2017
