UK Heads To Ole Miss And Mississippi State
Oct. 14, 1999
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky volleyball team will be looking to stop its thirdtwo-match losing streak of the season on Friday when the Cats face the LadyRebels of Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. A win at Ole Miss would put the Cats (9-8,2-4 SEC) in a position to even their SEC record with a victory at MississippiState on Sunday afternoon.
“This is going to be a big weekend for us,” UK coach Jona Braden said. “We needto play well, but our players have had a good week of practice in preparationfor these matches. They should be ready to go.”
Friday night at Ole Miss promises to be a special night for KatieEiserman who is five kills away from fifth place on the UK all-time kills list.Last week versus Arkansas, the senior moved into second place on the UKall-time dig list and is now only 69 digs away from becoming the school’sall-time leader. Also of note from last weekend, senior Terri Crabb recordedher 2,000th career assist against LSU.
UK’s history with Ole Miss and MSU is decidedly one-sided in the favorof the Cats. Against Ole Miss (8-9, 0-5 SEC), UK holds a 20-6 edge going backto the first meeting in 1977. Between 1986 and 1995, the Cats were a perfect10-0 against the Lady Rebels, but with a 3-1 win last season, UK beat Ole Missfor the first time in four years. The Lady Rebels of 1999 are led by 5-10sophomore Jaime Burns who leads the team with 226 kills with an average of 3.83per game. Kira Zschau is the team’s defensive leader with 154 digs.
The Cats have only lost to MSU (8-8, 0-5 SEC) once in 24 meetings,a 3-2loss in Starkville in 1994, holding a 23-1 series advantage over the LadyBulldogs. Including last year’s 3-1 win in Lexington, UK has beaten MSU fivestraight times after winning the first 18 meetings between the two schools.This year’s Lady Bulldogs feature a balanced attack powered by Melanie DiMuzio,Jennifer Shupe and Brianne Smedley who are all averaging better than threekills per game. MSU had a five-match win streak prior to the SEC season and arehungry for its first SEC victory of the season.
