Vicky Graff Photo
Oklahoma transfer Megan Wilson says her connection with setter Emma Grome has “got a lot better” in recent weeks and it shows.
The 6-4 Wilson had 14 kills Friday night as No. 20 Kentucky beat Mississippi State 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-22) at Rupp Arena for its sixth straight Southeastern Conference win and second straight sweep.
“We are communicating to each other better,” Wilson, who also had three digs, said. “The chemistry with everybody is growing. Our mindset is pretty locked in.”
Coach Craig Skinner said Wilson had a “great night” but also praised Reagan Rutherford who had 10 kills and hit .409. As a team UK hit .330 while limiting Mississippi State to .126.
“Defensively to hold a SEC team below .150 is something we have not done in a while,” Skinner said.
Azhani Tealer also had 10 kills and Grome had 43 assists with only two errors.
“We sustained a good level of concentration, especially in set two,” Skinner said.
Freshman Brooklyn DeLeye had 17 digs and Eleanor Beavin had 11 digs —her 16th-straight match with 10 or more digs to start the season. Beavin was honored before the game for getting her 1,000th dig in the sweep at Tennessee in the previous match.
Wilson said having Rutherford back healthy and able to play has been huge for Kentucky, which started the year 3-7 but is now 9-7 and will host No. 10 Arkansas, 8-0 in SEC play and 18-2 overall, Sunday afternoon at 1 on the SEC Network. Kentucky is 7-1 in conference play and could tie Arkansas for first with a win.
“Reagan being back is super important to us and I love it,” Wilson said. “Emma does a good job distributing the ball and Reagan is a big part of our team’s success. It’s really nice to have her back.”
