STILL DANCING! Kentucky volleyball advances to Elite Eight

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Kentucky volleyball is on to the Elite Eight, following a win over the No. 7 seed, Missouri, 3-1 (25-20, 25-20, 16-25, 25-13). The win marks Kentucky's third victory against the Tigers this season, after defeating the SEC rival both in Lexington and Columbia during the regular season.

The No. 3 seeded Wildcats will now face the No. 1 seed and Regional host, Pittsburgh. The Panthers beat the No. 4 seed, Oregon Thursday afternoon in a five-set thriller. Kentucky vs. Pitt is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Against Missouri, Kentucky once again relied on the powerful and purposeful arm of Brooklyn Deleye. The SEC Player of the Year finished the day with 22 kills on 43 swings with four attack errors, hitting .419. The all-around player added six digs, three aces and two blocks, as well.

Senior setter Emma Grome delivered another stellar performance, with 50 assists and 10 digs.

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Megan Wilson had 13 terminations in the win, including a well-timed header in set two which should earn her a spot on SportsCenter tonight.

In addition to the outside hitters, Grome also got her middles involved early and often against the Tigers. Brooke Bultema finished with ten kills, hitting .438, while Jordyn Dailey had five terminations to go with three blocks.

Kentucky's back row put up a gritty performance, led by sophomore libero Molly Tuozzo. The All-SEC second-team member finished with 11 digs on the day, while senior defensive specialist Eleanor Beavin added ten of her own.

Kentucky claimed set one, closing out the first win of the day with a 6-2 run to hit the 25-point threshold first, 25-20.

Missouri senior Jordan Iliff came alive for the Tigers in the second, helping her team hang tough early in the set. Iliff finished the day with 20 kills and nine digs. Kentucky pulled away by as many as eight points (21-13) before Mizzou responded to cut it as close as four points (22-18; 24-20).

It took three set points, but Deleye's 12th kill of the afternoon finally earned the second set victory, 25-20.

That momentum did not carry over for the Cats. Missouri started the third set with a vengeance, while Iliff continued to fire. As a team, the Tigers hit .520 in the third set, while Kentucky only managed .296. Missouri led by as many as 11 points, before earning the win 25-16.

Kentucky returned to form in the fourth set, rallying for a 25-13 win to close out the Sweet 16 victory.

As a team, the Cats hit .347 for the match, with 59 total kills.

Kentucky has now won 14 matches in a row, getting it done in dominating fashion. The Wildcats have lost just five sets during the winning streak, which started on October 16. They'll look to continue that winning streak with their first trip to the Elite Eight since the 2020 national championship season.

BBN Tonight

For more on today's win, watch BBN Tonight at 7:30 p.m. on your official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18.