The Kentucky volleyball team wraps up its season-opening four-match road swing on Wednesday when it travels to Bowling Green, Ky., to face intra-state foe Western Kentucky. Opening serve in E.A. Diddle Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m.
The Wildcats (2-1) are coming off a successful weekend at the Northern Iowa Invitational in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where Kentucky toppled host UNI in a five-game thriller late Saturday evening. Senior middle blocker Nicole Britenriker (Cincinnati, Ohio) was named to the all-tournament team after totaling 44 kills, 34 digs and 16 blocks during the three-match span.
?Western will be a good match for us in a great volleyball environment,? said third-year head coach Craig Skinner. ?They had a great first weekend and [head coach] Travis [Hudson] has them ready for another good year. I think you will see them compete for the Sun Belt title and be in the NCAA tournament this year.
?We are excited for a tough match,? added Skinner. ?We are looking forward to seeing some UK fans from the western part of the state coming out to support us, as well.?
Britenriker, who is averaging 4.0 kills per game and is hitting with a squad-best .283 efficiency, tallied double-doubles in two of the team?s three matches this past weekend. She now has recorded 17 double-doubles during her time at Kentucky. Sophomore setter Sarah Rumely (New Palestine, Ind.), the 2006 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, is averaging 11.45 assists per game, while senior libero Alisa Pierce (Louisville, Ky.) is leading the defensive effort with 4.36 digs per game.
Western Kentucky (3-0) captured the Northern Illinois Invitational last weekend, hitting .300 as a team in each of the squad?s three matches. Junior setter Julia Noe was named the tournament?s Most Valuable Player, setting a career high with 12 kills against Indiana in the finale and hitting .800 for the match ? the second-best single-match hitting percentage in school history. Noe was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week for her efforts.
Junior AVCA All-America middle blocker Megan Argabright leads the way for the Hilltoppers. Argabright was the 2006 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and is a two-time All-America selection. In 2006, the Louisville native became the fastest player in WKU to reach 1,000 career kills. She ranked 16th in the nation with a .390 hitting percentage a year ago.
The Wildcats lead the all-time series between the two schools 11-4 after breaking a two-match losing streak to WKU last season with a 3-0 win over the Toppers. Kentucky is 71-39 all-time against foes from within the Bluegrass State.
Kentucky plays host to the Kentucky Classic on Friday and Saturday with the Cats? home opener scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. against Georgetown University.
Volleyball season tickets can now be purchased at the UK ticket office, located in the Joe Craft Center. All tickets are general admission and can be purchased for $20 by calling the ticket office at 1-800-928-2287. Tickets are also sold at the Joe Craft Center prior to each home match.
Single match tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for Seniors and Youth. Group tickets for 20 or more persons are available by calling the ticket office in advance of the event. Anyone wishing to purchase tickets can do so by visiting the UK ticket office, by phone, at (859) 257-1818, or online.
