LEXINGTON, Ky. (SMU) – No. 10 SMU Volleyball (6-1) fell for the first time this season, dropping a four-setter to No. 3 Kentucky (4-2) with set scores of 28-26, 22-25, 18-25, and 23-25.
 
Jadyn Livings gave a stellar performance despite the loss, leading the match in kills with a career-high 26 with nine digs. Christa Wilburn finished second on the Mustangs squad with a career-high 12 kills and nine digs.
 
Averi Carlson dished out 40 assists against the Wildcats and added nine digs. As a team, Kentucky notched a hitting percentage of .336 while SMU swung at a .216 clip. SMU out-blocked the Wildcats in the loss 8-5 and won the battle at the service line with a 7-4 edge in service aces.
 
MATCH NOTES: 

• The loss ended an eight-game road winning streak for the Mustangs.
• Kentucky improved its record in the series to 5-0.
• Sophomore Livings notched her second 20+ kill performance of the season and her career.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE | It was a seesaw opening set between the Mustangs and Wildcats in the top-10 matchup. The set saw 16 ties and seven lead changes. Wilburn paced SMU in the early part of the frame, going 4-of-6 entering the media to lead the match, where the Wildcats led by just one, 15-14. Kentucky surged to a three-point edge (23-20), but SMU punched back with three straight to tie it. Kentucky reached set point first with a kill, but a kill from Wilburn followed by a block from Newsome and Wilburn put SMU at set point (25-24). Kentucky went for two straight in response to its second set point, but three straight by the Mustangs, capped off by an ace from Wilburn, gave the Mustangs a 28-26 set one victory. SMU held a 3-1 edge in blocks in the frame defensively, and offensively, the Mustangs had two players with six kills in Livings and Wilburn.
 
SET TWO | SMU got off to a strong start in the second set, building off a set-one victory with a 5-1 advantage. UK fought back to level the score at 8-8 and then extended its lead to as much as five (18-13). The Mustangs didn't go away quietly as they answered with six of the next seven to even the score once more.  A pair of kills from Wilburn, an ace, and a kill from Livings detailed the late push for SMU. However, Kentucky scored six of the next eight to even the match at a set apiece, led by DeLeye, who totaled four kills down the stretch. Despite hitting .300, SMU was unable to slow down a Wildcats attack that hit. 415 in the frame.
 
SET THREE | Kentucky got to an early lead with a 4-0 start. Back-to-back aces from Batenhorst closed the gap to 7-6; however, UK went on another healthy run (6-2) and then four of the next five to reach its largest lead of the match (16-9), forcing SMU into a timeout. The Mustangs battled late against but could only close the gap to three, as Kentucky finished the set strong with four of the final five points to win the frame 25-18. SMU was held to just .043 hitting percentage, its lowest of the match.
 
SET FOUR | Kentucky controlled the early portion of the third set, using a 4-0 run to go up 10-4. SMU kept itself within striking distance with a few runs midway through, the first being a 4-0 stretch that included three kills from Livings. The Mustangs kept battling, maintaining just a two-point deficit until another kill from Livings and an attack error from the Wildcats got SMU within a point. That run helped SMU fight off their second set point, but UK was able to close it out on a kill from Hudson to win the set 25-23 and the frame 3-1.
 
SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Jadyn Livings (26)
SMU Assist Leader: Averi Carlson (40)
SMU Digs Leader: Four with (9)
SMU Blocks Leader: Favor Anyanwu (4)
SMU Ace Leader: Casey Batenhorst (3)
SMU Points Leader: Jadyn Livings (26)
 
Up Next: SMU will take on No. 14 Purdue in Lexington tomorrow at 10 a.m. CT.