Alabama
No. 13 Kentucky
Volleyball Falls in Four to 13th-Ranked Kentucky
10/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. - After falling down 2-0 in the match, Alabama battled back to win the third set and nearly took a fourth, but Kentucky rallied late in the fourth to defeat the Crimson Tide, 3-1.
The loss is Alabama's (14-3, 2-1 SEC) first in SEC play and snaps a nine-match win streak, while 13th-ranked Kentucky (13-2, 3-0 SEC) remains undefeated against conference opponents. Kat Hutson led the Tide offensively with 18 kills and a .400 hitting percentage and Krystal Rivers notched her third-straight double-double with 16 kills and 11 digs. The Wildcats were led by Shelby Workman with 19 kills, a .459 clip and 10 digs while Lauren O'Conner and Anni Thomasson were also in double-digit kills with 15 and 10, respectively.
The score was tied eight times in the opening set before a kill by Kentucky's Workman tied it up a ninth time, 13-13. Back-to-back points for Kentucky gave the Wildcats the advantage at the media timeout, 15-13, and they would score a third-straight point to make it 16-13. Alabama would draw back within two, down 21-19, but Kentucky would close out the set with a 4-1 run to win, 25-20.
Tied at 4-4 in set two, Kentucky would score four-unanswered points and continue to charge forward, eventually doubling the Tide's score, 12-6. The Wildcats continued to extend by lead, holding a 10-point edge at set point, 24-14. A kill by Hutson briefly held off the Wildcats but they rebounded on the very next rally, scoring a kill to take the 10-point set victory, 25-15, and hold a 2-0 match lead heading into intermission.
Following the 10-minute intermission, the two teams would play a close fourth set, with 16 tie scores and 10 lead changes throughout the frame. Tied at 14-14, the Tide would score three unanswered points to take its largest lead, 17-14. Kentucky would answer right back to tie it, 17-17, and take an 18-17 lead off a kill by Workman. Later, trailing 21-20, Alabama would score four points in a row to reach set point, 24-21. Kentucky scored back-to-back points to draw within one but Alabama would take the set off a Kentucky attack error to earn the narrow victory, 25-23.
Alabama would earn the first point of set four and Kentucky would tie it three times before taking its first lead, 7-6. Alabama would eventually battle back to tie it, 11-11. With the Tide trailing 15-14, Alabama would score five unanswered points to move ahead 19-15, but Kentucky would immediately come back with four of their own to tie it at 19-19. Later, tied at 22-22, the Wildcats would knock in back-to-back points to reach match point, 24-22, and Workman sealed it with a kill to win the set, 25-22, and take the match, 3-1.
Alabama continues its road weekend with a 12:30 p.m. CT match against Tennessee (7-10, 0-3 SEC before Friday) on Sunday, Oct. 5.
