The Kentucky volleyball team looks for its fourth consecutive win on Friday night when it hosts Arkansas in Memorial Coliseum. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m. with live statistics available at ukathletics.com and live video available through Extreme Access.
The Wildcats (13-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) are coming off a 3-1 win over border-rival Tennessee on Wednesday. Kentucky?s newcomers combined for 41 kills and eight blocks in the victory, led by sophomore transfer Brooke Bartek?s career-high 16 kills. Senior middle blocker Nicole Britenriker added 13 kills and 13 digs for her team-best 10th double-double of the season, while freshman right-side hitter Lauren Rapp, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week had 13 kills ? one off her career high ? with four digs and two blocks.
?We are looking forward to another match at home,? said UK head coach Craig Skinner. ?Our crowds are getting bigger all the time, which has given us a great home court advantage. We will need their presence against Arkansas tomorrow night.?
Britenriker leads the team with 3.92 kills per game, while junior middle blocker Queen Nzenwa is first in the SEC with a .416 hitting percentage. Nzenwa is also adding a team-leading 1.61 blocks per game.
Kentucky is 6-1 at home this season and has posted a 19-3 (.863) record inside the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum over the past two seasons.
Friday?s match marks the 21st meeting all-time between Kentucky and Arkansas. The Lady ?Backs lead the series 13-7, but the Wildcats have won three of the last five meetings between the two squads. Prior to the 2006 campaign, Arkansas had won 11 consecutive matches against the Cats.
The Lady ?Backs (6-8, 0-4 SEC) are in last place in the league?s Western Division. Since beginning its season 6-1, Arkansas has dropped its last seven contests and has won just three single games during that span.
Despite being in the SEC West cellar, the Lady ?Backs are near the middle of the pack in most of the league?s statistical categories, including hitting percentage, where they rank fifth with a .226 hitting efficiency. Jessica Dorrell ranks second in the conference in kills with 4.33 put-downs per game, while Ashley Miller is sixth defensively with 4.69 digs per game.
