Yahoo Finance A record crowd greets No. 5 Kentucky at No. 21 Tennessee. UK volleyball wins again.
The University of Kentucky volleyball team has been the class of the Southeastern Conference for the last five seasons. Many challengers have come and gone, but nobody has been able to knock the Wildcats from their perch atop the league.
The latest to take their shot at the four-time defending champs were the Tennessee Volunteers. A UT record crowd of 3,376 — not an uncommon sight when Kentucky comes calling — dialed up a raucous atmosphere fit for an upset inside Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats were ready.
— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) October 28, 2021
Freshman Erin Lamb hit .550 with 12 kills on 20 swings as fifth-ranked Kentucky swept No. 21 Tennessee 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-19).
Kentucky improved to 16-3 overall and 9-0 in the SEC. Tennessee fell to 16-5 and 8-3.
Lamb hit over .500 in her first SEC action in Kentucky’s full-time rotation. The freshman from Stewartville, Minnesota, delivered seven first-set kills to quickly dim the Volunteers’ hopes for an upset.
Alli Stumler led UK with 15 kills and Azhani Tealer added 11.
As a team, Kentucky hit .407 Wednesday night, its best mark in an SEC match this season.
Defensively, UK held Tennessee to .208 hitting, and Eleanor Beavin led the way with 14 digs. Bella Bell led UK with four blocks.
Kentucky is now off until Nov. 4-5 when it plays a pair of matches at South Carolina (12-8, 4-6).
SEC standings
Kentucky 16-3 (9-0)
Mississippi State 17-5 (8-2)
Florida 13-6 (7-2)
Tennessee 16-5 (8-3)
Arkansas 15-6 (6-4)
Ole Miss 15-5 (4-5)
LSU 9-12 (5-7)
Auburn 12-8 (4-6)
South Carolina 12-8 (4-6)
Texas A&M 11-9 (4-6)
Alabama 10-11 (2-7)
Georgia 6-14 (2-7)
Missouri 4-19 (1-9)
