Volleyball falls in three sets to No. 8 Kentucky

Box Score (PDF)

MILWAUKEE - The Marquette University women's volleyball team suffered a 25-21, 30-28, 26-24 sweep at the hands of No. 8 Kentucky in its home opener on Saturday night at the Al McGuire Center.

Graduate students Hope Werch and Taylor Wolf led the way for the Golden Eagles (6-1) with 13 kills each but Marquette suffered its first loss of the 2021 fall campaign. MU hit .242 (50-18-132) as a team, while the Wildcats (6-2) hit .310 (50-15-113).

The teams went back and forth to start set one until Kentucky went on a 6-0 run to take a commanding 14-8 lead, and carried the momentum to a 25-21 set win.

It was a marathon set two, with both teams fighting off multiple set points before the Wildcats finally took the frame 30-28. The frame featured 13 ties and five lead changes and the Golden Eagles were unable to convert on three set-points during the stanza.

The reigning national champion Wildcats then fought back from a 22-20 deficit in the third set to pick up the sweep while hitting .333 and siding out at a 72 percent clip. MU hit a match-high .389 (17-3-36) in the final set, but could not convert late points for the win.

Middle blocker Savannah Rennie added seven kills and four total blocks for MU, while Hannah Vanden Berg contributed five kills. Freshman outside hitter Jenna Reitsma totaled four kills in her first contest at the Al McGuire Center.

For the Wildcats, Madi Skinner put up 16 kills and a .400 hitting percentage (16-4-30), while Emma Grome totaled a match-high 41 assists.

NEXT UP: Marquette (6-1) will stay home to finish the weekend at the Al McGuire Center on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. against No. 2 Wisconsin. The match airs live on FS1.

Keep up with the Marquette University women's volleyball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteVB) and Instagram (@MarquetteVB) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteVolleyball).