Kentucky to face NC State, North Carolina, Lindenwood on Friday at 7 p.m. ET
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After two strong performances to open the season, the No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats (1-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) are set to make their Memorial Coliseum debut in a quad meet with No. 29 North Carolina (1-0), No. 39 NC State (0-1) and No. 50 Lindenwood (1-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
The Cats enter the week on the heels of consecutive weekly individual honors awarded by the SEC. After eight-time All-American Mollie Korth was named the season’s first SEC Gymnast of the Week on Jan. 7, Kentucky’s Raena Worley was dubbed SEC Freshman of the Week last Tuesday.
Worley earned three scores of 9.800 or better during her first collegiate all-around performance in No. 10 Kentucky’s 196.525-195.500 victory over No. 8 Missouri last Friday. The Riner, Virginia native reset season highs on vault (9.750) and floor (9.900), matched an impressive mark on beam set in her season debut the week prior (9.800) and made her first career appearance on bars with a 9.800.
Overall, Worley finished in second place on floor and third place on all-around by way of a 39.250 total, behind only Korth and Kentucky’s Ella Warren across both events.
Korth was crowned champion of four events in last Friday’s win with a 9.925 on vault, bars and floor, as well as a 39.625 all-around total. As a team, Kentucky posted four routines that surpassed individuals’ career highs and three that tied them, complemented by event debuts from two different freshmen.
North Carolina opened the season at home with a 194.775-190.425 win over William & Mary last Sunday, while NC State lost on the road in a 194.025-193.800 contest at Ohio State last Saturday. A 192.675 showing by Lindenwood earned the Lady Lions a second-place finish in a tri-meet at Illinois on Jan. 9, falling to the host Illini (195.525) and defeating Temple (192.550).
