Nov. 19, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 16th-ranked Kentucky volleyball team will close out regular season action in the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum by hosting Arkansas on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The match will also serve as the team’s annual “Senior Day” festivities to honor Ann Armes, Gretchen Giesler and Becky Pavan.
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| Kentucky vs. Arkansas Sun., Nov. 20 – 1:30 p.m. ET Lexington, Ky. UK Match Notes  Memorial Coliseum Parking Info |
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Following a sweep of LSU on Friday night, Kentucky now owns a 25-4 overall record and a 16-2 record in Southeastern Conference action. UK has won 16 consecutive home matches including all nine in league play. Arkansas dropped a 3-0 contest to No. 14 Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday night to drop to 18-11 overall and 10-8 in conference play. The Razorbacks are one game back of LSU for the lead in the SEC Western Division standings.
The senior trio of Armes, Pavan and Giesler have established themselves as Kentucky’s all-time winningest class with a 97-29 overall record and a .700 career winning percentage. UK has played in an NCAA Tournament in every season of their careers and been in contention for an SEC title in three of their four seasons.
Armes is leading the Blue and White in hitting percentage this season with a .319 clip. Giesler earned All-Tournament team honors at two of UK’s early season tournament this season, while Pavan has moved up the all-time charts in UK history with nearly 375 career block assists.
Prior to the start of the UK-Arkansas match, the Kentucky family will honor the senior class with a traditional Senior Day ceremony.
Junior Stephanie Klefot tallied 11 digs in a win over LSU on Friday night to accumulate 505 digs on the season. It marks the second consecutive season the Louisville, Ky., native has eclipsed 500 digs.
Sophomore Whitney Billings narrowly missed out on posting her third consecutive double-double effort with nine kills and nine digs in the victory over the Tigers.
The Razorbacks are paced by 3.57 kills per set from Jasmine Norton and 3.28 from the hand of Kelli Stipanovich. Arkansas’ defense is also impressive averaging 2.43 blocks per stanza.
UK claimed a 3-1 victory over Arkansas in late September in Fayetteville, Ark. Frazier’s 18 kills and a stellar defensive effort led the Kentucky volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-22, 28-26, 21-25, 25-15) win at Arkansas in the team’s first meeting. Frazier’s kill output is a career-high at Kentucky. Kentucky posted 51 digs as a team to help overcome a feisty Arkansas team.
Billings led the defensive effort with a season-best 15 digs while adding seven kills. Klefot notched 11 scoops, and sophomore Jessi Greenberg totaled a then SEC career-high 10 digs for the Blue and White. Freshman Jackie Napper added eight in the winning cause. Pavan led the way at the net with five blocks on the evening. Armes totaled five kills and added a pair of blocks, while Giesler notched four kills and three rejections.
Frazier led a trio of players in double-figures as Pavan totaled 11 and has reached double-figures in three straight league matches. Freshman Lauren O’Conner struck for 10 kills on a team-best .333 hitting clip. Setter Christine Hartmann passed out 45 assists and added three kills of her own.
Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum will play host to the NCAA Regionals Dec. 9-10. UK is one of four sites selected for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups with one team advancing to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, from the Lexington Region.
Opening night matches are scheduled for 5 and 7 p.m. ET. Saturday’s final is set for a 4:30 p.m. ET first serve.
Tickets are now on sale through the UK Ticket Office. All-Session Tickets are reserved for all ages at $14. General Admission tickets for adults are priced at $12 and students or seniors’ general admission is slated for $8.
Single session tickets are priced at $8 for reserved for all ages. General admission for adults is priced at $7, with students and seniors priced at $5. Youth single session tickets are $4.
For tickets or more information feel free to call, 1-800-928-CATS.
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the UK volleyball team and all of Kentucky’s 22 teams.
