Aug. 29, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Freshman defensive specialist Jackie Napper has been selected as the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week it was announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
A Louisville, Ky., native Napper made a significant impact for the Wildcats going 2-1 at the Florida State Invitational in the opening weekend of action. She ranked second on the team with 2.42 digs per set while posting a .959 reception percentage during the first weekend of collegiate action.
Furthermore, Napper began her career picking up 14 digs in her first career match in a UK win over Albany. In the Wildcats’ upset of No. 23 Tulsa, Napper charted 13 digs. With a pair of double-figure efforts, Napper became the first freshman in the Craig Skinner era to tally double-digit digs in two of her first three career matches. Former UK star Jenni Casper was the last Kentucky player to achieve the feat, although she did not record double figures until her second career match.
Three Matches Selected for Television
Kentucky was selected for an ESPNU broadcast earlier this season, but the Wildcats have been picked for three additional TV matches.
UK’s home match with Georgia, Sept. 18 has been was selected by CSS and the match time will now shift to a 2 p.m. ET start.
Additionally, the UK IMG Sports Network will broadcast the Louisville (9/7) and Florida (Oct. 30) matches live on Fox Sports South. The Louisville match is slated for a 7 p.m. ET start and Florida’s first serve is set for 1:30 p.m. ET.
Locally in Lexington, the CWKYT will have the Louisville match on tape delay beginning at 10 p.m. ET. The Florida match will also air live on the partner network of WKYT.
Koberstein Makes History
Sophomore setter Elizabeth Koberstein dished out 70 assists in the upset victory over No. 23 Tulsa. In addition to her making history in the UK record books, she also becomes the first player in SEC history to chart 70 or more helpers since the advent of 25-point scoring in 2008.
The Madison, Wisc., native currently leads the conference with an average of 12.00 assists per set thus far. In the victory over Tulsa she averaged an astounding 14 assists per stanza, with UK charting 14 or more kills in all five frames.
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. Tickets are on sale now through the UK Ticket Office.
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the UK volleyball team and all of Kentucky’s 22 teams.
