LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Three pre-conference tournaments, including the annual Kentucky Classic, and meetings with seven opponents who participated in the 2006 NCAA Tournament highlight the 2007 Kentucky Volleyball schedule, announced Monday by head coach Craig Skinner.
The Wildcats, who are coming off their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in 13 years, will, for the second consecutive year, play a home-and-home series with each Southeastern Conference in lieu of a league tournament.
Kentucky begins its slate Aug. 24-25, when it travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to participate in the Northern Iowa Tournament. The Wildcats will face Wright State, host and NCAA participant Northern Iowa and Western Michigan in the two-day tournament.
The Wildcats stay on the road on August 29 when they travel to Bowling Green, Ky., to meet intrastate rival Western Kentucky. Kentucky then returns home to host the annual Kentucky Classic with meetings against Georgetown, Cleveland State and Austin Peay rounding out the tournament schedule.
Prior to the start of conference play, the Wildcats will travel to Atlanta to participate in a tournament hosted by Georgia Tech University to face Arizona, Western Carolina and Georgia Tech.
Kentucky begins SEC play on Sept. 14 when it plays host to Mississippi State in Memorial Coliseum. Other highlights of the home slate include a mid-week match-up with NCAA Tournament participant and 2005 Final Four participant Tennessee (Sept. 26), a showdown with nationally ranked LSU (Oct. 14), and a meeting with the perennial power Florida Gators (Nov. 11), whom Kentucky nearly upset last season. The Florida game will also mark Senior Day for UK?s Nicole Britenriker and Kathleen Bowler.
Kentucky finished the 2006 slate with a 19-12 record and an 11-9 mark in SEC play, marking the team?s most overall and league wins since the 1993 campaign. In addition, the Wildcats notched their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1992.