Volleyball
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Dec. 19, 2008

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky volleyball program continued to soar to new heights in 2008, just like it has in each of its four seasons under the direction of Head Coach Craig Skinner. The Wildcats capped the year with a 26-6 overall record and a 17-3 clip in SEC play en route to making a school-best fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament field. Here’s a look back at the 2008 season:

Team Accomplishments

  • Four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and their 10th tournament appearance in school history.
  • Second place finish in the Southeastern Conference standings, the best finish since placing second in 1990.
  • A school record 17 victories in the league play.
  • The seventh most victories (26) in school history in a season.
  • Four consecutive winning seasons of 17 or more wins.
  • Back-to-back 20 win seasons.
  • A 40-8 home record in the last three seasons.
  • The team’s first national ranking in the AVCA poll since 1993–reaching as high as #17 in the polls and spending eight weeks among the nation’s top-25.
  • Two record setting crowds in Memorial Coliseum–as 3,512 fans watched UK vs. Florida and 3,021 fans watched UK vs. Tennessee. Those figures ranks as the fifth and seventh largest crowds to ever watch a volleyball match at the Coliseum.
  • An upset victory over #12 Florida at home on Nov. 16th snapped a 38-match losing streak to the Gators.
  • Had a 12-match winning streak, which was the longest since a 17-match winning streak in 1993.
  • UK finished the season having won 23 of their last 27 matches, with 15 of those matches coming in the form of sweeps.
  • Ranked nationally in blocking (6th), hitting percentage (25th) and aces (50th).
  • Led the SEC in opposing team’s hitting percentage and blocking.

Individual Accomplishments

Sarah Rumely

  • AVCA All-America honorable mention, becoming the school’s seventh All-American.
  • AVCA All-South Region first team.
  • 2008 SEC Player of the Year, becoming UK’s first-ever recipient of the award.
  • All-SEC first team member.
  • CoSida/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team.
  • Named the SEC Player of the Week once during the year, and was the only pure setter to win the honor during the season.
  • Has charted over 4,000 assists in her career, becoming just the third player in school history to attain that figure.
  • Notched 1,000 or more assists in each of her three seasons.
  • Played every point of every match this season for the Wildcats.
  • Set a career-high with 103 total blocks in her junior campaign.
  • Had career-bests of hitting percentage (.833) and digs (23) in a match this season.
  • Tallied nine double-doubles on the year and 12 matches with 40 or more assists.

Queen Nzenwa

  • AVCA All-America honorable mention, becoming the school’s second repeat honoree.
  • AVCA All-South Region first team, a two-time member.
  • All-SEC first team member for the second consecutive season.
  • Earned All-SEC status in each of her four seasons.
  • Garnered 547 block assists for her career to rank first in school history and fourth all-time in the Southeastern Conference in that category.
  • Set a career-high and led the SEC with an .867 hitting percentage in a match against Arkansas.
  • Was tops on the squad and ranked in the top-three in the league with a .343 hitting clip for the season.
  • Averaged over 1.10 blocks per set in each of her four seasons.
  • Finished her career having played 464 career sets, ranking fourth all-time at UK.
  • Tallied 1,261 kills in her career and finished her four seasons as one of the school’s best hitters with a .335 clip.

Lauren Rapp

  • AVCA All-South Region honorable mention.
  • All-SEC second team member, after earning All-SEC freshman team honors a year ago.
  • Named the SEC Player of the Week once this season.
  • CoSida/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District second team.
  • Set career highs for a season in kills (338), hitting percentage (.301) and digs (210).
  • Posted five double-double efforts, 10 matches with five or more blocks, five matches with 10 or more digs and 21 matches with 10 or more kills.
  • Was the only UK player to have two matches with 20 or more kills.
  • Charted career-bests in a match with a .643 hitting percentage, nine blocks, 16 digs, 23 kills and four service aces.
  • Ranked second on the squad in hitting percentage service aces and kills per set.

Becky Pavan

  • AVCA All-South Region honorable mention.
  • All-SEC freshman team member, and one of only two unanimous selections.
  • Twice named the SEC Freshman Player of the Week.
  • Led the team and the conference with 1.20 blocks per set, and tallying 140 total blocks on the year.
  • Was the lone UK player to have 10 or more blocks in a match when she had 10 against Tennessee.
  • Posted over 200 kills and a .282 attack percentage in her first season.
  • Had some of her best matches in the biggest matches of the season–had a season-high 14 kills in the win over Florida and 10 blocks in the win over Tennessee.
  • Tallied 14 matches with five or more blocks, while leading the team in blocking on 12 occasions.
  • Had six matches with 10 or more kills.

Sarah Mendoza

  • All-SEC second team member.
  • Twice named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
  • Led the team and ranked among the league’s leaders with 3.26 kills per set.
  • Also was tops on the team with 443 points on the year, an average of 3.75 points per set.
  • Ranked second on the team with 2.69 digs per frame.
  • Totaled career-highs in sets played (118), kills (385), attempts (1120), aces (29), digs (318) and blocks (45).
  • As an outside hitter played the full rotation for the Wildcats.
  • Tallied 12 double-double efforts on the year.
  • Posted 29 matches with five or more digs, 23 matches with 10 or more kills and led the team in kills 20 times.
  • Was one of two players on the year to post 20 or more kills in a match when she set a career-high with 24 in a loss to Ole Miss.
  • Also had career-bests in a match with a .586 hitting percentage, 20 digs, three assists and three aces.

BriAnne Sauer

  • CoSida/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team member.
  • Was the team’s starting libero all-season and led the team with a career-high 497 digs for an average of 4.21 scoops per set.
  • Set a career-high in assists (118), ranking second on the squad with an average of 1.00 per frame.
  • Posted 10 or more digs in a match on 28 occasions, while tallying matches of 20 or more scoops nine times.
  • Led the team in digs in a match 27 out of 32 matches.
  • Had a season-high 27 digs in a win over Albany.
  • Earned a career-high nine assists against Florida.
  • Has totaled over 1,000 assists in her career, becoming just the ninth player in school history to achieve the feat.

Ann Armes

  • Named to the SEC Community Service team.
  • Totaled season-bests of 11 kills on three occasions and a .429 hitting percentage against Morehead State.
  • Saw action in 48 sets and 17 matches in her first season.
  • Led the team in digs when she had 12 against St. John’s.
  • Ranked fourth on the team with 1.92 kills per set.

Brooke Bartek

  • Appeared in 20 sets and 11 matches for the Wildcats this season as she recovered from an off-season injury.
  • Posted a season-high six kills against Florida.
  • Had a career-best .667 hitting percentage in a match against Tennessee State.

Annmarie Behr

  • Saw a career-high 28 sets of action in 19 matches.
  • Also set career-bests in assists, digs and aces.
  • Totaled a career-high three digs in a match against Western Carolina.

Gretchen Giesler

  • Played in 10 matches and 18 sets on the year in her first season.
  • Posted a career-high four kills in a win over Western Carolina.
  • Tallied two blocks on three occasions.
  • Had a career-best two service aces in an SEC victory over Arkansas.

Blaire Hiler

  • Played in 23 matches for the Wildcats and started in nine of those appearances.
  • Averaged a career-best 1.62 kills per frame on a career-high hitting percentage.
  • Four times she had 10 or more kills in a match, including a season-high 11 in the upset victory over Florida.
  • Also set career-highs with six digs and two assists in that win over the Gators.

Alisa Pierce

  • Is one of two seniors on the 2008 squad who have won 17 or more matches in each of their four seasons.
  • For her career she notched over 820 digs and played in over 350 sets.
  • During her tenure she had 40 matches with 10 or more digs, and twice had over 20 digs in a match.
  • She led the team in digs 17 times in her career.
  • Posted a season-best five scoops in the first round NCAA tournament loss to Michigan.

Laura Stokowski

  • Saw action in a career-best 115 sets and 32 matches.
  • Made 13 starts during the season.
  • Posted career-highs in assists (26), aces (11) and digs (226) as a defensive specialist.
  • Had six matches with 10 or more scoops, including a career-high 17 digs against Ole Miss.

WILDCATS IN THE RECORD BOOKS

Season Records

Attack Percentage (Min. 500 attempts)

  1. Lisa Bokovoy (’87) .389
  2. Eunice Thomas (’91) .384
  3. Marsha Bond (’83) .371
  4. Queen Nzenwa (’07) .371
  5. Lisa Bokovoy (’88) .358
  6. Amy Kaplan (’05) .352

  7. Queen Nzenwa (’08) .343
  8. Queen Nzenwa (’06) .341
  9. Lisa Dausman (’87) .336
  10. Sissy Canfield (’03) .334

Digs

  1. Jenni Casper (’06) 563
  2. Tanya Diamond (’83) 525
  3. Jenni Casper (’05) 478
  4. Ann Hall (’93) 498

  5. BriAnne Sauer (’08) 497
  6. Jenni Casper (’04) 478
  7. Jenni Casper (’03) 473
  8. Karolyn Kirby (’83) 455
  9. Machelle Elliott (’85) 440
  10. BriAnne Sauer (’07) 424

Career Records

Sets Played

  1. Jane Belanger 491
  2. Ann Hall 487
  3. Lisa Bokovoy 486

  4. Queen Nzenwa 464
  5. Jenni Casper 460
  6. Lori Erpenbeck 451
  7. Katie Eiserman 448
  8. Molly Dresiback 438
  9. Sarah Spinner 437
  10. Eunice Thomas 434

Kills

  1. Molly Dreisbach 1,737
  2. Lisa Bokovoy 1,657
  3. Sarah Spinner 1,565
  4. Krista Robinson 1,389
  5. Kristen Batt 1,387
  6. Katie Eiserman 1,358

  7. Queen Nzenwa 1,261
  8. Eunice Thomas 1,214
  9. LaTanya Webb 1,207
  10. Gina Heustis 1,197

Attack Attempts

  1. Molly Dreisbach 4,296
  2. Sarah Spinner 4,172
  3. Kristen Batt 3,907
  4. Katie Eiserman 3,876
  5. Lisa Bokovoy 3,729
  6. Krista Robinson 3,475
  7. Gina Heustis 3,107
  8. Mara Eglitis 3,026
  9. LaTanya Webb 2,976

  10. Queen Nzenwa 2,752

Attack Percentage (min. 1000 attempts)

  1. Marsha Bond .390
  2. Eunice Thomas .342

  3. Queen Nzenwa .335
  4. Lisa Bokovoy .329
  5. Karolyn Kirby .311
  6. Lori Erpenbeck .305
  7. Amy Kaplan .293

  8. Sarah Rumely .289
  9. Angela Salvatore .285

  10. Lauren Rapp .284

Assists

  1. Laura Linder 5,425
  2. Jane Belanger 4,861

  3. Sarah Rumely 4,219
  4. Leigh Marcum 3,683
  5. Irene Smith 3,195
  6. Whitney Sample 2,880
  7. Ainsley Grimes 2,824
  8. Terri Crabb 2,355
  9. Kristi Kelley 1,928
  10. Fiona Bolten 1,473

Service Aces

  1. Krista Robinson 159
  2. Irene Smith 153
  3. Lisa Bokovoy 147
  4. Sarah Spinner 145

  5. Sarah Rumely 139
  6. Laura Linder 135
  7. Lori Erpenbeck 129
  8. Jane Belanger 126
  9. Jill Ackerman 114
  10. Angela Salvatore 105

Block Assists


  1. Queen Nzenwa 557
  2. Lisa Bokovoy 400
  3. Eunice Thomas 355
  4. Jaclyn Homan 353
  5. Jenny Muzzey 347
  6. Mara Eglitis 344
  7. Sissy Canfield 312
  8. Amy Kaplan 302
  9. Jill Ackerman 296
  10. Cathy DeBuono 277

Digs

  1. Jenni Casper 2,037
  2. Katie Eiserman 1,194
  3. Ann Hall 1,139
  4. Sarah Spinner 1,127
  5. Kristen Batt 1,087
  6. Molly Dreisbach 1,067
  7. Lisa Bokovoy 1,057

  8. BriAnne Sauer 1,054
  9. Jane Belanger 1,032
  10. (tie) Aleisha Craven and Krista Robinson 985

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