Monday Quickies: Madison Lilley Edition
it’s a good thing history is written by winners.
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Winning a National Championship takes every single player’s best efforts. We’ve seen that first-hand with other Kentucky athletic programs, and the last couple of weeks weren’t any different for the Kentucky Wildcats Volleyball program.
The Lady Wildcats did snow angels in the confetti Saturday night, defeating Texas 3-1 in the Big Game. Though Kentucky received an all-out effort from their veteran squad, the Wildcats’ did indeed have a player that stood out above everyone else across the country.
Kentucky volleyball wins first NCAA championship in school, SEC history
By The Athletic Staff
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The No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats won their first women s volleyball national championship in school history and the first in SEC history on Saturday night, beating the No. 4 Texas Longhorns in four sets (20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-22). Texas was trying to win their third volleyball championship in school history and the first since 2012.
Kentucky outside hitter Alli Stumler led all players with 26 kills and teammates Madi and Avery Skinner added 19 and 14 kills respectively.
But the Wildcats had a sloppy first set tallying seven errors hitting just .216 and needing 37 swings to get 15 kills. Texas, meanwhile, hit a blistering .455 to capture the first set for their 21st straight match, and were able to sideout, or win the point on their opponent s serve, over 80% of the time.
KLKN-TV
The Wildcats won their first national championship beating Texas in four sets.
April 24, 2021 10:43 pm
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Alli Stumler had a season-high 26 kills, the biggest coming on the final point of the match, and Kentucky won its first national championship in women’s volleyball with a four-set victory over Texas on Saturday night.
The Wildcats had the nation’s most efficient offense this season and, with the exception of a few hiccups early in the first set and the start of the fourth, they were in top form with Stumler and sisters Madi and Avery Skinner leading the way.
Kentucky wins first volleyball title in 4 sets over Texas
By ERIC OLSONApril 25, 2021 GMT
“You ready to win a natty?” she said she asked him.
Of course, Skinner was. So was Stumler. The All-American had a season-high 26 kills, the biggest coming on the final point of the match, as Kentucky won its first national championship in women’s volleyball with a four-set victory over Texas on Saturday night.
“The moment we woke up, we knew we were going to win this thing,” Stumler said. “The moment we stepped off the plane in Omaha, we said we were going to win this thing. There was never a doubt there was any team better than us.”
NCAA Volleyball notebook: Devyn Robinson named to all-tournament team, Kentucky beats Texas for national title
The true freshman shone on the biggest stage and big things lie ahead for her in Madison.
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Mark Kuhlmann/NCAA Photos
On Saturday night the Kentucky Wildcats beat the Texas Longhorns 3-1 (20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-22) in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament finals. It was UK’s first volleyball national title and the end of a dominant season for the Cats, who ended the year 24-1 while collecting the SEC Title along with the NCAA Title. Kentucky’s only loss of the year was to Florida (in five sets) and they lost a mere two sets in five Tournament matches.