Aug. 23, 1999
The University of Kentucky volleyball team is getting into the swing ofthings in their last week of practice before Saturday’s intra-squad match,the annual “Blue and White Scrimmage.” The game is set for 2 p.m. and willbe the team’s lone exhibition action before they open the regular seasonwhen they host Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, September 1.
The Wildcats are looking to progress closer to their goal of returning toSEC prominence as Jona Braden leads an experienced group of players intobattle in 1999. This is Braden’s second season as head coach at UK and fanscan expect to see some exciting play from this talented team.
Last season Braden guided the Wildcats to their first winning season since1993 and four starters are returning from that team. In seniors KatieEiserman and Jaclyn Homan, UK returns its second and third leadingattackers from last season in terms of number of kills and total attackattempts. Overall the Cats have a deep roster with experienced backups ateach position to go with a very talented crop of new recruits.
One of the most highly touted recruits is Kristen Batt, the 1998 Class 5AHigh School Player of the Year in Florida. Batt has been working hard withfellow newcomers Elizabeth McCaslin, Aleisha Craven and junior collegetransfer Melissa Kracht over the last two weeks and Braden says they aregrowing as players everyday.
The only thing slowing this team down has been the injury bug that has hitthe team’s setter position. Senior Terri Crabb is coming off her third kneesurgery in the last year and has been in and out of action throughout thefirst two weeks of practice due to some occasional swelling in hersurgically repaired right knee. Whitney Sample, UK’s assist leader from1998, has had some soreness in her back that has kept her out of most ofthe team’s workouts. In their absence, Eiserman and Stacey Wallace havefilled the setting role quite admirably and Braden believes that either ofthem will be ready to step into game action if the natural setters aren’thealthy enough to play.
Even though the recent SEC coaches poll has tabbed Kentucky to finishfifth in the Eastern Division for the second straight year, those in theWildcat’s camp feel strongly that the team will improve on its 6-8conference record of a year ago. While Braden is still in the early stagesof her rebuilding of the UK volleyball program, there is a quiet confidencethat the Wildcats will be making some noise in the SEC this season.
Fans can catch their first glimpse of that potential for themselves in thelegendary Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.
