Hudson, DeLeye Lead No. 3 Kentucky Past Gritty Auburn Team in Four

When matches get tight, the best teams find a way to get the ball to their best players. And thanks to some stellar play from No. 3 Kentucky's dynamic duo of Eva Hudson and Brooklyn DeLeye, the Cats picked up another Southeastern Conference victory Wednesday night after knocking off the Auburn Tigers 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-22, 25-16) inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.

After being named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the third-consecutive week, freshman setter Kassie O'Brien continued to shine quarterbacking the Kentucky attack as she dished out a match-high 48 assists on 60 team kills. While only two Wildcats managed to eclipse double figures on the evening, it was O'Brien's ability to pull the opposing middle blocker with her to give her left sides one-on-one opportunities that helped the Cats generate the offense needed late, especially in set three, to claim the eventual victory. 

Hudson led the offensive charge yet again as the senior continues to thrive running the higher and slower set that Cats have elected to give her since SEC play began. The outside hitter finished the match with a game-high 25 kills on an impressive .388 hitting clip. DeLeye followed closely behind her with 19 kills of her own on a .207 clip. Junior middle blocker Lizzie Carr added eight kills on a .312 attacking clip and Brooke Bultema and Asia thigpen each totaled three. 

Heading into the match Auburn ranked third nationally in blocks per set, averaging an impressive 3.06 per frame. And against the Cats that trend continued, as they finished the evening with 16 team blocks. But Kentucky held its own at the net, proving once again that the Cats can block with the best of the best. The Wildcats sent back 14 team blocks of their own and held the Tigers to .146 hitting in the match. Bultema led the way with seven rejections, Carr and O'Brien each finished with five, DeLeye had three, Jordyn Dailey had two, and Hudson had one. 

It was a team effort on the back line as Molly Tuozzo and Molly Berezowitz each racked up 15 digs on the evening. O'Brien added nine, DeLeye had eight, and Hudson finished with seven. 

With the win, Kentucky improves to 13-2 on the season and remains tied for first atop the SEC with a 6-0 conference record. Next up, the Cats will host the Florida Gators in the annual rivalry game between the schools inside Historic Memorial Coliseum on Sunday. First serve is set for 3:00 pm ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN.