Team Defense Leads No. 2 Kentucky Past Wofford Into the Round of 32

Thanks to a record-breaking defensive performance on the back line, the No. 2 Kentucky volleyball swept its way past Wofford (25-11, 25-19, 25-12) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night to set up a clash against UCLA in the Round of 32 Friday night. 

Despite having not seen game action in nine days since their win over Texas in the SEC Tournament Title game last Tuesday, the Cats brought a relentless defensive intensity to the match from the jump. In the first set alone, junior libero Molly Tuozzo picked up a whopping nine digs and led the defensive effort that held the Terriers to -.048 hitting with eight errors and only six kills. 

For the match, the Kentucky defense limited Wofford to .075 hitting behind a new three-set school record 66 team digs. Tuozzo led the way with a match-high 19 digs, Molly Berezowitz had 13, Kassie O'Brien had 12, Brooklyn DeLeye had 11, and Eva Hudson had 8. 

Offensively the Cats were led by Brooklyn DeLeye, who totaled 14 kills with only one error on a .419 clip coming off a tough offensive match in the prior game against Texas. Hudson and Lizzie Carr each added nine kills of their own, Brooke Bultema and Kennedy Washington each had four, and Asia Thigpen totaled three. 

With the win, Kentucky improves to 26-2 on the season and advances into the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they'll take on the UCLA Bruins Friday night with a spot in the Sweet Sixteen up for grabs. First serve is set for 7:00 pm ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.