Kentucky volleyball keeps rolling, and the Wildcats just proved they can take a punch and keep swinging.
That was the big takeaway from Tuesday, when Craig Skinner gave an update on Morgan Gaerte after Kentucky’s sweep of No. 7 Texas without one of its most important attackers. Skinner said Gaerte is still considered day-to-day after taking a hit to the eye during practice on Friday.
"Yeah, she's still day-to-day," he said. "She got hit in the eye about 15 minutes left in practice on Friday.
Just an eye issue that is not long term, but certainly day-to-day. We hope to have her back at some point.
She gets another doctor checkup tomorrow."
For a Kentucky team already sitting at 10-2, that’s the kind of news that matters. The Wildcats have been on a tear, following the win over Texas with an earlier comeback against a fired-up Vanderbilt team. And the Texas result stood out even more because it came without Gaerte on the floor.
Skinner made clear how valuable that win was, not just because of the opponent, but because of the way his team handled the challenge.
"Being at home is a little bit more comfortable," Skinner said, "But working through that adversity without Morgan was another step in the right direction for our players and our team for sure."
Gaerte’s absence was noticeable, especially given what she brings to the lineup. The junior from Angola, Indiana, arrived at Kentucky after transferring from Notre Dame and has become the team’s second-leading kill producer with 151, trailing only Brooklyn DeLeye, who is widely considered one of the sport’s elite players.
Her impact was on full display in the win at Vanderbilt. Kentucky dropped the first set 25-21 in Nashville after the Commodores came out serving aggressively and putting the Wildcats on their heels. The Cats steadied themselves and won 3-1, with Gaerte leading Kentucky in kills.
Skinner pointed to that match as a clear example of how much his team needs players like Gaerte when things get messy.
"Vandy was ready. I think they were, at the time, the best serving team we had played to that point.
They really made us uncomfortable with their serve and so we just had to adapt," Skinner said. "Having players like Brooklyn, having a player like Morgan to be able to bail us out and have outlets when you don't do that is really important, especially on the road."
Now Kentucky turns to the next stretch of SEC play, and the timing of Gaerte’s recovery will be worth watching. The Wildcats head to Auburn on Friday before traveling to Florida later on Sunday in a national television matchup.
Whether Gaerte is available or not remains uncertain until after her doctor visit on Wednesday, but Kentucky is already in a strong place. The Wildcats are 2-0 in conference play and chasing a 10th straight SEC Championship as they move deeper into the league schedule.
In the meantime, they’ve already shown they can win a big one without one of their stars.
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