After a successful regular season and winning an SEC championship, the University of Kentucky Wildcats Volleyball team looked to continue their winning ways into the NCAA national tournament. However, the team fell to Arkansas in the National tournament, losing in five sets. After winning the SEC championship for a seventh consecutive year and having a winning record of 20-7, many fans expected this was the year for UK to win the National Championship but were let down.
Going into their final game of their season versus Arkansas, the team was ranked eighth in the country, and had defeated Wofford and 23rd ranked Baylor in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Additionally, the Wildcats had previously played ninth-ranked Arkansas twice in the regular season, beating them both times the teams met. So what went wrong?
The Wildcats were riding an 18-game winning streak going into their loss against Arkansas, all of which came in their conference play in the Southeastern Conference. The Wildcats lost after five sets, losing 15 to 10 in their final tiebreaking set. Kentucky Freshman Brooklyn DeLeye led her team with 16 kills, but her performance wasn’t enough as the Arkansas graduate Jill Gillen led the game with 24.
The Kentucky Volleyball team currently has a combination of four seniors or fifth year players, although it is unclear how many will return next year for the season. Despite their loss, fans cannot be disappointed with the Wildcats’ seventh consecutive SEC title and final record of 21-7, all after starting the season 3-6. The Wildcats look to continue their success into the 2024 season, and challenge for more trophies.
