Sept. 26, 1999
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky volleyball team got its SEC season off to a poor start this weekend with a pair of road losses to Eastern Division rivals South Carolina and Georgia. The Cats lost both matches by 3-1 scores Friday at USC and Sunday at UGA after claiming the first game in each match.
After taking game one against Georgia 15-8, UK fell into a deep 10-0 hole in game two. The Cats (7-6, 0-2 SEC) let the margin increase to 14-2 before running off 12 straight points and evening the game at 14-14 and then 15-15. But in the pivotal series of the match, UGA got the advantage and the game with a 17-15 victory.
?Our effort in game two was typical of our senior leadership,? said UK coach Jona Braden. ?They showed some determination by staying in it and focusing on getting the job done. All-in-all they gave a good fight. We just need to figure out how to sustain that for the whole match.?
The Cats lost a 4-1 lead in game three and fell behind in the match 2-1 when they lost the game, 15-8. With their backs to the wall in game four, the Cats made things tough on themselves as they fell behind 10-0 again and then 14-4. UK was able to close the margin to 14-8, but got no closer as Georgia (4-6, 1-1 SEC) took the game 15-8.
In an error-filled hitting display by each team, UGA out-hit the Cats, .177 to .086. UK had 39 hitting errors to the Lady Bulldogs 38. UK senior Katie Eiserman led the way for the Wildcats with a double-double of 17 kills and 16 digs. April Barnhorst and Jennie Reed patrolled the net effectively for the Cats as they totaled 10 and 9 block assists, respectively. Both totals are career-highs
The Wildcats played this weekend without the services of their top middle blocker Jaclyn Homan. The senior broke her right hand in practice on Sept. 23 and is expected to be out for 2-3 weeks. The Cats are still missing Stephenie Taylor, one of the team?s starting outside hitters, who is out indefinitely with a lower back injury. Taylor, a junior, has not played since suffering the injury in UK?s second match of the season, Sept. 3, against Virginia Tech.
Against South Carolina (7-4, 1-0 SEC), the Wildcats came out on top of a tight game one with a 16-14 victory, but saw their level of play drop in the next three games as they lost the match 3-1. Behind a raucous crowd of 703, the Gamecocks outlasted the Wildcats in the final three games 15-8, 15-11 and 15-8 to take the match. Senior Katie Eiserman led the way for the Cats with 16 kills, 18 digs and a season-high five blocks, but could only do so much for the under-manned Cats.
The Wildcats return home for a two-week stretch of four matches beginning Friday, Oct. 1 when the Crimson Tide of Alabama rolls into Lexington.
AGATE
Friday, Sept. 24 Columbia, S.C.
Volleyball Competition Facility (703)
South Carolina def. Kentucky 14-16, 15-8, 15-11, 15-8
Sunday, Sept. 26 Athens, Ga.
Ramsey Center (423)
Georgia def. Kentucky 8-15, 17-15, 15-8, 15-8
