They had rolled along all season, setting record, piling up wins, climbing the rankings, on the way to what looked like an SEC Championship. Then the last two matches of the regular-season, the Kentucky volleyball team rolled right off the road, losing at home to Florida, losing on the road to Tennessee, losing the overall SEC title to LSU.
Tonight, in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, the Cats climbed back on track.
Led by Sarah Rumely, Sarah Mendoza and Blake Hiler, Kentucky swept Michigan State 25-23, 25-23 and 25-20 in a first-round match at Memorial Coliseum. Though this is the fifth consecutive NCAA appearance for Craig Skinner’s Cats, it was the first time since 2006 that UK has advanced to the second round.
Kentucky (28-4) will meet Oregon (20-9) in the second round, Saturday at 7. The Ducks swept Clemson earlier tonight.
Here’s video of Kentucky’s post-game press conference, with Skinner talking about the victory. Click the continue line for video of the players reactions, and Skinner talking about second-round opponent Oregon.
