Nov. 1, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
The 21st-ranked Kentucky volleyball team will play host to Georgia, winners of six of their last seven matches, for Kid’s Day on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum. First serve is slated for 1:30 p.m.
Kentucky is coming off a four-set victory over LSU on Friday night, while Georgia got swept by Tennessee snapping their six-match winning streak.
The Wildcats got 21 digs from their libero BriAnne Sauer as she guided the defensive effort which forced LSU into a .197 hitting percentage for the match. The Tigers made 21 attacking errors and UK scooped up 59 digs on the night while registering six blocks.
UK had three players register double-figure kill efforts—all coming from the outside hitter position. Sophomore Sarah Mendoza led the way with 16 kills while chipping in with 12 digs for her seventh double-double effort of the year. Sophomores Lauren Rapp and Blaire Hiler both had 11 kills to help pace the attack. Junior Sarah Rumely directed the offense to the tune of 44 assists while adding 10 digs of her own for the second double-double of the night for the home squad. Mendoza was tops in the points category with 20.5 points scored on the night.
The University of Kentucky volleyball team posted its ninth-consecutive victory, this one on the road, as they claimed a 3-1 victory over Georgia in late September. The Bulldog nation was out in full force for the match, bringing in the largest crowd of the season and the pep band for the match-up with the Wildcats. Kentucky led by senior Queen Nzenwa’s eight-kill and six-block performance, were unfazed as they calmly picked up their first road win in conference play this season.
Four Kentucky players registered eight or more kills on the night, as the team hit .287 overall for the match. Reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week, Mendoza, and freshman Becky Pavan each reached double-figure kill efforts with 10. Freshman Ann Armes tallied nine, while Nzenwa and Rapp each posted eight on the night. Rumely chipped in with five kills, while dishing out 37 assists on the night. She added three serving aces, and now is just one shy of eighth place on the all-time list at Kentucky. Sauer led the defensive effort with 14 digs. Rapp paced the Blue and White in the point-column tallying 12.5 points on the night with her eight kills, two blocks and three aces.
Sunday’s match against Georgia is Kids’ Day:
• The first 100 kids get a free UK Volleyball water bottle
• 25 kids who wear blue will get a free UK Volleyball rally towel
• Two kids will receive a $100 gift bag from the UK Bookstore
• One lucky kid will win a pizza party for 10
• Kids will get the opportunity to get their picture taken with the Wildcat and Scratch from 11:45 am – 12:15 pm before the match
Live results and free video streaming of the match with Georgia can be found at UKathletics.com. Following the completion of the match, visit UK’s official homepage for a complete recap of the match.
