Kentucky Volleyball opened SEC play the right way Wednesday night, and the Wildcats did it by taking down an unbeaten Vanderbilt team on the road.
The third-ranked Cats made their first trip to Nashville and left with a 3-1 win, dropping the opening set before rolling through the next three, 21-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-21. The victory kept Kentucky’s SEC regular-season winning streak alive at 27 straight matches and moved the team to 9-2 overall and 1-0 in league play.
Brooklyn DeLeye and Morgan Gaerte powered the offense with 21 kills each, while Kassie O’Brien handed out 54 assists. Kentucky had to work through 15 service errors, but the attack was sharp enough to make up for it, as the Wildcats hit .444 for the match and committed only nine attack errors.
Their best stretch came in the third set, when they hit .680 with zero errors. Kentucky also owned the net, finishing with a 12-2 edge in blocks.
Next up is a big one at Historic Memorial Coliseum: No. 7 Texas visits Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN.
On the football side, Will Stein used his Wednesday night appearance on his coach’s show to talk about the noise Kentucky is not paying attention to after the win at Texas A&M. The Wildcats beat then-No.
9 Texas A&M on the road, but still did not crack the new AP Top 25, sitting unofficially at No. 27.
Stein said that’s not a topic inside the building.
“It’s not,” Stein replied when asked if the rankings were being discussed inside the football facility. “I’m more concerned about growth each and every week, us getting better, and let our fans and our support really have fun with that.”
Stein’s focus remains on the week ahead and avoiding a slip-up against South Alabama. He also singled out DJ Miller after the wide receiver’s breakout performance at Texas A&M.
Miller had been asked to keep grinding even without a catch in Kentucky’s first two games, and the staff made a point to get him involved early in College Station. He answered with five catches for 96 yards.
Kentucky didn’t receive a mid-week injury report from the SEC, since out-of-conference games don’t require the same official updates. That said, the Wildcats seem to have come out of College Station in decent shape. The main concern was safety Ty Bryant, who left with a shoulder injury, but Stein said afterward that Bryant should be fine, though sore.
There may be a chance to keep some bodies fresh on Saturday, too. Kentucky is coming off an emotional road win and faces four straight SEC games in October, so a comfortable day against South Alabama could allow the staff to get Bryant and other banged-up players some extra rest.
In football gear news, the Wildcats now have a new pair of Nike Air Zoom Hyperslides, a recovery slide valued at $250 on Nike.com. The sandals heat and cool to aid recovery, and the whole team has them now.
Basketball practice has also started over at the Joe Craft Center, with Kentucky less than six weeks from its first exhibition game. Jack Pilgrim reported that Milan Momcilovic is a full participant, though some other players still are not. The preseason work is underway, and there are already some behind-the-scenes notes from the building.
The basketball calendar also got a new marker this week: Kentucky’s Champions Classic matchup with Kansas will tip at 9:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the United Center in Chicago, with ESPN televising the game. Duke and Michigan State will play first at 7 p.m., and history suggests the late start could end up even later.
Later today, KSR’s Happy Hour returns to YouTube at 4 p.m. for its weekly hour-long hangout, and Matt Jones is back on the air from the Lexington studio for KSR from 10 a.m. to noon.
In Other News...
Kentucky Fans Have Plenty To Debate About This Kansas Showdown
The annual Champions Classic will again put Kentucky in a high-profile early-season spot, and this years meeting with Kansas now has a formal landing point. The Wildcats and Jayhawks are scheduled to tip off Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 9:30 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago, with ESPN carrying the nightcap after Duke and Michigan State open the doubleheader at 7:00 p.m. ET.
For Kentucky fans, the announcement adds another circled date to a matchup that always brings plenty of conversation before anyone even reaches the opening tip. Presale tickets for the event are already available through Ticketmaster with the code WILDCATS, giving supporters a chance to lock in seats for one of the seasons most watched stages before the full picture around the game really starts to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]
Karl-Anthony Towns Suddenly Has A Knicks Decision Kentucky Fans Should Watch
Karl-Anthony Towns turned in a strong first season with the Knicks, capping it with an NBA championship and a third straight All-Star nod. For Kentucky fans, that kind of year is still a point of pride, especially with Towns continuing to look like one of the leagues most accomplished frontcourt stars after his days in Lexington.
The wrinkle is what comes next. Contract extension talks between Towns and New York have reportedly stalled, with the Knicks seeking a significant pay cut while sorting through multiple deals on the roster. With owner James Dolan reportedly wary of pushing too far beyond the salary cap, Towns suddenly sits at the center of a decision that could shape the Knicks' offseason and keep Wildcats fans watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Has One Trap To Avoid After That Texas A&M Win
Fresh off the kind of win that can make a September feel bigger than it is, Kentucky comes home to Kroger Field on Saturday with a chance to keep its momentum rolling. The Wildcats will face South Alabama in a 12:45 p.m. ET kickoff on SEC Network, and the setting is exactly the sort that can test a team coming off an emotional high. Kentucky is trying to move to 3-1 and stay on track after taking down Texas A&M.
The danger is obvious enough: this is the sort of game where the favorite can spend more time fighting itself than the opponent. South Alabama arrives at 2-1 under Major Applewhite and has some uncertainty at quarterback, with Bishop Davenport dealing with a minor injury and Jared Hollins also in the mix. Kentucky is still favored by three touchdowns, but the challenge after a breakthrough win is keeping the same edge when the matchup on paper says it should be comfortable. [Read more 🡒]