A great season from Kentucky women’s volleyball has come to an end, as the Wildcats are out of an opportunity for a national championship.
Wildcat volleyball fell in straight sets to the Pitt Panthers, losing 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-17) in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
Kentucky came into the tournament as a three-seed, ultimately taking down unseeded Cleveland State (3-0), 6-seed Minnesota (3-1), and 7-seed Mizzou (3-1) on Thursday night to advance to the Elite Eight. It was the fifth time in program history that the Wildcats had advanced that far, with Kentucky making the final eight teams in 1983, 1987, 2017, and 2020 as well.
But, sadly, Pitt ended Kentucky’s season prematurely. Pitt used their home court advantage to the fullest, using a passionate Panther crowd to kill any sort of momentum the Wildcats mustered throughout the match.
The loss meant that Pitt stifled Kentucky of a potential Governor’s Cup matchup. The Panthers will now play the Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum Center.
The loss also means that Kentucky’s season is officially over. The Wildcats finish 23-8 — although there were many silver linings to come from this season.
Kentucky won its eighth-consecutive SEC Championship, it’s fifth outright in that run. Wildcats head coach Craig Skinner was named SEC coach of the year, and sophomore outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye was named SEC player of the year.
