Eva Hudson Shines on Senior Day as No. 2 Kentucky Wins Ninth-Straight SEC Title

Thanks to a match-high 15 kills from Kentucky's lone senior, Eva Hudson, the No. 2 Kentucky volleyball team capped off a perfect run through the Southeastern Conference Sunday with a 3-0 sweep (25-16, 25-20, 25-12) of visiting Arkansas on Senior Day to capture a ninth-straight SEC Championship outright.

As she has for much of the year, Hudson led the offensive charge for the Cats all afternoon, registering her 15 kills on a sweltering .438 hitting clip with only one error. In her final regular season match inside Memorial, the outside hitter registered only one error through 32 swings and added three digs and a block to the winning effort as well. Prior to the match, Hudson was honored with a game ball for surpassing 2,000 career kills, an accomplishment she set in the match against Oklahoma Friday night. 

But Hudson wasn't the only Wildcat who had it going on the offensive end as Kentucky saw four players total seven or more kills on the match. Brooklyn DeLeye added 13 kills of her own and Lizzie Carr and Kennedy Washington each added seven out of the middle to round out the bulk of the scoring. 

Following the match, UK head coach Craig Skinner cited his team's consistent ability to perform through adversity as a key reason for the Cats' ability to secure the title.

"Man, a lot of buy in from everybody. Every championship is different and they're equally difficult. This one had a lot of challenges along the way and our team just kept being persistent through the ups and downs and found a way to embrace the role that they had." 

True freshman Kassie O'Brien continued to bolster her case for the SEC Freshman of the Year award as she dished out a match-high 35 assists and directed the Kentucky attack to .376 hitting. O'Brien also added six digs and led the team with a match-high five blocks at the net. 

Molly Tuozzo made her presence felt all across the back line against the Razorbacks as her 12 digs helped the Cats hold Arkansas to just .176 hitting through three sets of play. Arkansas managed just 29 total kills and committed 13 errors on the afternoon. DeLeye added nine digs of her own, Molly Berezowitz had eight, and Hudson finished with three. 

With the win, Kentucky finishes the regular season with a 22-2 overall record and a 15-0 mark in SEC play. The Cats' run of nine-straight conference championships is not only the longest such streak in school history, but is also the longest consecutive championship streak in any of the power four conferences. Kentucky will now turn its attention to the SEC Tournament next weekend in Savannah, Georgia where they have secured the No. 1 seed in the bracket. The Cats will receive a double-bye in the tournament with their first match scheduled for Sunday against either the eight, nine, or 16 seed depending on who advances in the first and second rounds. First serve is set for Noon ET and will be broadcast live on SEC Network. 

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