Kentucky came to E.A. Diddle Arena on Thursday and beat Western Kentucky 3-0 in an exhibition match. The first two sets were full 25-point games, while the third set started with the teams tied at 10.

Stats weren’t publicized from the exhibition.

UK was ranked No. 5 in the preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released Aug. 8. WKU was among a group of schools receiving votes in the poll and listed on two or more ballots.

All 13 players on the Lady Tops’ roster appeared in the exhibition. Eight of those WKU players are freshmen or sophomores.

Coach Travis Hudson told the Daily News after the match that the Lady Topper veterans didn’t play up to the team’s standards.

“Kids that have been here two or three years have got to go make plays,” Hudson said. “We just were kind of disheveled out there, but that’s what these exhibitions are for and we’ll be better for it.”

WKU will host an intrasquad scrimmage at 10 a.m. Saturday at Diddle Arena. The Lady Tops will then start the regular season Aug. 24 with a match against Alabama in Charleston, S.C., as part of the College of Charleston Tournament.

The team’s home opener is scheduled for Aug. 28 against Belmont.

WKU has won Conference USA regular-season and tournament championships each of the past four seasons. The Lady Toppers swept Notre Dame in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament before losing in five sets to Kentucky.

Dellinger no longer with program

Senior outside hitter Taylor Dellinger has left WKU’s program for personal reasons, Hudson said Thursday.

Dellinger tallied 508 kills for the Lady Tops from 2015-17, including a career-best 238 as a sophomore in 2016. The Clarkston, Mich., native played 85 matches for WKU, recording a .217 hitting percentage with 130 digs, 93 total blocks and two assists.

Dellinger’s departure leaves middle hitter Rachel Anderson and setter Mary Martin as the only two seniors on Hudson’s 2018 squad.