No. 24 Kentucky Volleyball Wraps Up Week at Ole Miss

The No. 24 Kentucky (19-6, 11-2 SEC) volleyball team will look for its 20th win of the season at Ole Miss on Sunday in the Gillom Sports Center. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app.
Head coach Craig Skinner and the Wildcats will be looking to clinch their ninth 20-win season in 10 years and sixth 20-win season in a row. Skinner has guided the Wildcats to an NCAA tournament berth every season he has been at the helm. Only 10 other schools in the nation have advanced to the NCAA tournament during each of the last 11 seasons.
Kentucky has already faced the Rebels once this season, and the Wildcats picked up a sweep. Sophomore Olivia Dailey facilitated the offense with 46 assists and helped UK hit at a .352 attacking clip. Freshman Leah Edmond paced the Wildcats with 13 kills on 28 swings, and also tossed in eight digs during the win.
Earlier this week, Kentucky picked up a 3-0 sweep of Arkansas. Edmond earned her seventh double-double of the season with a team-best 18 kills and 10 digs during the win. The Wildcats got the blocking back on track, and junior Kaz Brown produced a team-best seven block assists, and the squad generated 11.0 blocks overall. Kentucky also swept the Razorbacks in the first meeting between the two teams this season.
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Scouting the Opponent
Ole Miss (14-11, 3-9 SEC): Ole Miss came to Memorial Coliseum last month and were swept by the Wildcats. The team hit .352, with Olivia Dailey facilitating the offense with 46 assists. The Rebels are led by Kate Gibson, who averages 3.56 kills per set. Lexi Thompson is an all-around player for the Rebels as she leads the team in digs per set at 3.03 and aces per set at 0.21.
Aces Record
Senior Anni Thomasson set the 25-point rally scoring era service ace record when she recorded a service ace against Arkansas on Wednesday. Thomasson broke the previous record of 98, held by three-time AVCA All-American Whitney Billings.
1,000 Dig Club
Two Wildcats joined the 1,000 dig club last weekend. Junior libero Ashley Dusek joined during the five-set thriller against Auburn. Dusek racked up 27 digs, tying her season best during the win, and sits at fifth in the 25-point rally era school history with 1,039 digs. Senior Anni Thomassson joined Dusek on Sunday in the match against Missouri. Thomasson picked up 11 digs, vaulting her over the mark. The Newark, Ohio native sits at 1,007 career digs, just behind Dusek for sixth in the school 25-point rally era.
Comeback at Auburn
The Wildcats were pushed to the limit against Auburn last Friday, but were able to survive in the five-set match. No set was won by more than three, and there were 57 lead changes and 24 tie scores during the contest. Freshman Leah Edmond led the way with 20 kills, and picked up her seventh double-double of the season when she added 12 digs.
Dailey Sixth in Country in Assists
Heading into the weekend, sophomore setter Olivia Dailey sat at No. 6 in the nation in assists per set at 11.58, which is good enough for second in the SEC. The three-time SEC setter of the week had 45 assists in the win over Auburn last week and has since upped her tally to 11.71 assists per set.
Dusek Named Academic All-District
Junior Ashley Dusek was named CoSIDA Academic All-District for her performance on the floor and in the classroom. Dusek is an integrated strategic communications major and currently holds a 3.50 GPA. On the court, Dusek is leading the team in digs at 4.76 per set.
Follow along with the Cats on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
Deb Moore