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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
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 Virginia Tech (1-2) | 21 | 28 | 20 | 23 | 1 |
 (19) Kentucky (3) | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
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LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Virginia Tech volleyball team fell to 19th-ranked Kentucky, 3-1 (21-25, 28-26, 20-25, 23-25) in a back-and-forth battle that saw 39 ties and 17 lead changes on Saturday evening during the final match of the Bluegrass Battle in Lexington, Kentucky.
Kathryn Caine led the Hokies (1-2) with 15 kills, hitting .400 on the attack. Amanda McKinzie added 12 kills while LaTasha Samson-Akpan posted 11 kills while hitting .714. Jordan Fish and Kyra Coundourides combined for 27 and 22 assists, respectively.
On the defensive side, Lindsey Owens and Megan Beckwith both tallied 15 digs and McKinzie recorded a double-double adding 13 digs. Ashley Battle tallied eight blocks.
Owens was named to the All-Tournament team.
The Hokies took an early lead in the opening set, going on top 9-3 as McKinizie knocked down a kill. Tech maintained the lead and was up 14-10 just past the mid-point of the set, but the Wildcats rallied with a 7-3 run to tie it up at 17-17. UK continued its run and took its largest lead at 24-18. The Hokies looked to make a late surge behind a pair of aces from Beckwith, cutting the lead to 24-21, but the Wildcats got a kill from Lauren O’Conner to secure the point needed for the win.
In the second set the two teams kept it close early and were tied at 10-10 before UK went on a little run to break open the scoring to go on top 13-10. The Wildcats held on to their lead over the next several rallies and were up 17-14. Tech went to work, rattling off a 7-1 run to take the 21-18 lead late in the set. Kentucky answered, tying it up at 23-23. The two teams tied at 24, 25 and 26, but a kill from Caine and a Kentucky error gave the Hokies the points to win the set 28-26.
Virginia Tech and Kentucky again played a close set in the third and were knotted at 15-15. UK went on a 7-2 run to take the 22-17 lead late in the set. The Hokies got no closer than four in the final rallies as the Wildcats claimed the 25-20 win.
In the final set, Virginia Tech and Kentucky battled with 14 ties and eight lead changes. After trading points throughout the set, the two teams were tied as late as 20-20 before Kentucky scored four of the next five points to go up 24-21. The Hokies scored a pair on the next two rallies to cut it down to 24-22, but a kill from Shelby Workman secured the point for the Wildcats to claim the win 25-23.
Kentucky was led by four attackers in double-digit kils. Workman and O’Connor tallied 12 kills each while Sara Schwarzwalder and Anni Thomasson had 11 a piece.
The Hokies will return to the court on Friday, Sept. 5 when they face VCU as part of the Ohio University Invitational in Athens, Ohio.
For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_VBall
