Aug. 26, 2011
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State claimed a 3-0 (25-13, 25-8, 25-14) victory over the visiting Kentucky Wildcats in the nightcap of the opening day of the Florida State Invitational Friday evening. The senior duo of Gretchen Giesler and Ann Armes paced the Wildcat attack, while junior Stephanie Klefot posted the 40th match of her career with 10 or more digs.
“It’s certainly not what I expected tonight,” UK coach Craig Skinner said. “Give credit to Florida State because they’re a very good team, but we need to play a lot better than that. The good thing is we get a chance to come back out tomorrow against Tulsa and make it better.”
UK will conclude action at the Florida State Invitational with a showdown against No. 23 Tulsa at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday. The meeting between Kentucky and the Golden Hurricane will be the first in the history of the programs.
Kentucky falls to 1-1 on the season after earning a four-set victory over Albany earlier today. Florida State begins its season with a 1-0 mark. The Seminoles were paced by 12 blocks including 10 from the hands of Ashley Neff. Florida State also benefited from 25 attacking miscues from the Wildcats.
Giesler totaled six kills on a .286 hitting clip to lead the offensive effort for the 13th time in her career. Armes added five hammers, while junior Ashley Frazier and sophomore Whitney Billings both chipped in with four. Sophomore setter Elizabeth Koberstein passed out 21 assists and Klefot’s 12 digs led the back line. Armes had a pair of rejections to lead the blocking effort.
Florida State struck for an opening set 25-13 win to grab the early 1-0 edge. Kentucky struggled to find its offensive rhythm posting just eight kills on .091 hitting. Senior Becky Pavan, Giesler and Armes all notched two kills in the set.
The Seminoles notched a 25-8 second set win benefiting from 11 miscues from the Wildcats. Kentucky totaled six kills on a negative .167 clip, while the home team scored seven blocks in the set to frustrate UK’s offense. Billings had three kills in the set to lead the way for the Wildcats. With six digs in the second set, Klefot ran her total to 10 for the match to record her 40th career match with double-figure digs.
Kentucky jumped out to an early 6-3 lead to begin the third frame. In the stretch UK earned kills from Armes, Giesler and Frazier. The run was capped by a block from the tandem of Koberstein and Armes. The home team quickly responded with a 5-1 run to grab an 8-7 lead it would never relinquish en route to a match-clinching 25-14 final set win.
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.
Notes
Libero Stephanie Klefot posted 10 or more digs in a match for the 40th time in her career with a match-best 12 on the evening.
Senior Gretchen Giesler led the offensive output with six kills marking the 13th time in her career she has paced the Wildcat attack.
Kentucky has used the starting lineup of Whitney Billings, Jackie Napper, Gretchen Giesler, Becky Pavan, Ann Armes, Elizabeth Koberstein and Stephanie Klefot in consecutive matches to begin the season.
