Louisville’s volleyball monopoly took a jolt this year thanks to a couple of Kentucky underclassman that are already establishing quite the trophy case in Lexington.
Wildcats setter Emma Grome and outside hitter Reagan Rutherford were again named AVCA All-Americans on Wednesday – adding more hardware after leading UK to its first SEC championship since 2012.
Grome, a junior from Floyds Knobs, Indiana, earned second-team honors for the third straight season. Her SEC-best 12.10 assists per set paced a balanced Wildcats offense that hit .285 as a team – using a league-high six attackers averaging over two kills per set.
When she wasn’t dealing dimes, the defensive-minded Grome contributed 1.75 digs and 0.40 blocks too. Her consistency and leadership lands her among UK’s all-time elite setters already.
Not to be outdone, Rutherford’s lethal swing garnered third-team All-American status as just a sophomore. The Missouri native hammered 3.47 kills per set at a .315 clip to go along with 1.53 digs in a breakout 2022 campaign.
Rutherford now has two AA honors under her belt despite only being halfway through her college career – clearly she didn’t get the memo that UK isn’t supposed to hang with those Cardinal powerhouses down I-64.
In addition to Grome and Rutherford, head coach Craig Skinner’s latest recruiting class also shows plenty of promise. Freshman Brooklyn DeLeye joined the Wildcats’ pair as an honorable mention after bursting onto the scene as an electric outside hitter.
With Grome orchestrating, Rutherford terminating, and young guns like DeLeye emerging, Kentucky finally looks equipped to maintain its newfound perch atop the SEC.
