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Wildcats Collect All-SEC Honors and Individual Awards

Photo by Keyli Chisesi (Go Big Blue Country)

 

With a 24-3 overall record on the season and top 6 national ranking, the Kentucky Volleyball team has been one of the best clubs in the nation. Today, the talent that has led the Wildcats to the best season in school history was recognized when the SEC handed out its all-conference honors.

 

The Wildcats had a program-best five players named to the All-SEC team, as Kaz Brown, Ashley Dusek, Emily Franklin, Leah Edmond, and Madison Lilley were included on the list of 18 players.

 

Senior Kaz Brown, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, is hitting a career-best .410 this season. With the All-SEC honor, she has been awarded an SEC yearly honor every season of her career. Meanwhile, Emily Franklin, a fifth-year senior from Mesa, Arizona, earned her first All-SEC honor of her career. For the season, she leads the team with a .420 attacking percentage.

 

Sophomore Leah Edmond now has her second All-SEC award after being named SEC Freshman of the Year, All-SEC, and All-SEC Freshman team in 2016. Her 4.47 kills per set are second best in the SEC and 16th nationally. The Lexington, Kentucky, native has registered 10 or more kills in 22 matches this season while leading the team in aces with 34.

 

Additionally, Lilley was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, which included a spot on the All-Freshman team. The freshman setter has paced Kentucky offensively this season, averaging 12.05 assists per set. The standout freshman has surpassed 40 or more assists in 15 matches this season. Joining Lilley on the All-Freshman team was Avery Skinner. The freshman duo was a part of the highest ranked recruiting class in program history and the honors back that up.

 

Senior Ashley Dusek took home Libero of the year for the third time, in addition to being named All-SEC for the third time of her career. The senior is seventh in the conference with 4.33 digs per set.

 

Coach Craig Skinner has done an excellent job blending all of this talent together and for doing so, he was named Co-SEC Coach of the Year, along with Mary Wise of Florida. This marks the second time Skinner has been named SEC Coach of the Year.

 

Overall, the five All-SEC honors for the Wildcats are the most ever for the program. Previously, Kentucky had put four on the team on four occasions.

 

Kentucky returns to action tonight at Arkansas with match time slated for 8 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are two wins away from claiming at least a share of the SEC Championship for the first time since 1988. Kentucky follows the trip to Arkansas with the season finale at Georgia on Friday at 5 p.m.

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