March 27, 2013

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky volleyball team returns to the hardwood to open up spring competition beginning Saturday, March 30. The Wildcats will host Illinois in the first spring match of the season at 4 p.m. ET in Memorial Coliseum.

Admission is free, and fans are welcome to come and cheer on the Wildcats. Fans may park in any E-Lot surrounding Memorial Coliseum.

Under the direction of ninth-year head coach Craig Skinner, Kentucky is one of just 14 teams in the nation to advance to the NCAA Tournament in eight consecutive seasons. The Blue and White have advanced to the Sweet 16 in three of the last four seasons, and have boasted three All-America selections in each of the previous two seasons.

Senior Whitney Billings, a second-team All-America honoree in 2012, returns to lead the Wildcats. The right side hitter led the team with 17 double-double efforts a season ago. She averaged 2.99 kills per set while adding 2.75 digs per frame. Billings is closing in on becoming just the sixth player in program history to attain 1,000 career kills and digs.

In addition to Billings, the Wildcats return senior Alexandra Morgan, junior Lauren O’Conner, sophomore Sara Schwarzwalder, and junior Jackie Napper who all started in more than 25 contests a season ago. Senior Jessi Greenberg has seen action in more than 90 career matches to provide additional depth to the rotation.

Illinois logged a 14-16 overall record in 2012 after having to follow the most successful season in the history of the program. In 2012, the Illini played 15 matches against ranked opponents including seven who finished ranked in the top 10 in the country. The 2011 season saw the Illini finish as the national runner-up after making its 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history.

Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the UK volleyball team. For additional coverage of the volleyball squad be sure and check out CatScratchesBlog.com/volleyball.