LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Kentucky volleyball team looks to record its 20th win of the season Friday when it travels to Baton Rouge, La., to take on LSU. The Wildcats (19-6, 10-4 Southeastern Conference) are seeking their first 20-win season since 1993 when UK went 29-4 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky has recorded back-to-back 19-win campaigns for the first time since the 1992-93 seasons and three consecutive 17-win seasons since 1991-93. The Wildcats, who went 19-12 last season and advanced to the NCAA Second Round, still have six matches remaining in the 2007 regular season.
Nzenwa In Nation?s Top Five in Blocking
Junior middle blocker Queen Nzenwa (Baltimore, Md.), who became the school?s all-time career and single season block assists leader on Sunday, ranks fifth in the nation in blocks, according to the national statistics released Tuesday evening.
Nzenwa is averaging an impressive 1.68 blocks per game, which also ranks first in the SEC. In UK?s weekend contests against Auburn and Georgia, Nzenwa averaged an astounding 2.62 blocks per game during the two-match stretch. She tied her career high with 12 blocks on Friday vs. Auburn and followed up that performance with nine rejections vs. UGA.
Nzenwa has posted seven or more blocks in six consecutive matches this season and has eclipsed the 10-block plateau in four matches this year.
Nzenwa on Cusp of Breaking into SEC Records
Nzenwa has 402 career block assists and is on the cusp of breaking into the SEC?s all-time top 10 for block assists. Nzenwa would need 55 more block assists to tie LSU?s Stacey Samuels (1984-86) for 10th place all-time in league annals.
In addition, Nzenwa has 139 block assists this season, which set the single-season school record. She needs 32 more block assists to tie Arkansas? Jennifer Hasser for 10th place on the SEC?s single-season block assists chart. Haaser recorded 171 block assists during the 2004 campaign.
Mendoza Continues Kentucky?s Freshman Success
Freshman outside hitter Sarah Mendoza (Winter Park, Fla.) on Monday was named the SEC?s Freshman of the Week. Her honor marks the fourth time this season that a Wildcat has earned that distinction.
Freshman right-side hitter Lauren Rapp (Indianapolis, Ind.) has won the award three times this season. Kentucky is the only school in the SEC this season to claim the award more than two times and Rapp is the only player in the league to have received the award multiple times.
In fact, over the past two seasons, the Wildcats have had a player be named SEC Freshman of the Week on seven different occasions. Kentucky?s seven SEC Freshmen of the Week awards mark the most of any league school during that same two-year period.
Wildcats Are Road Warriors in 2007
Leaving the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum for road match-ups against two difficult Western Division foes should not be intimidating to Kentucky. In fact the Wildcats are 7-2 on the road this season, including a 4-2 mark in SEC play.
Kentucky has the second-best road record (all matches) in the SEC this season. Only No. 10 Florida sports a better record away from home this year, as the Gators are 9-1 on the road in 2007. UK is only one of four teams in the league to have a record of better than .500 away from home, despite the fact that more than half (six) of the teams in the conference boast winning overall records and more than 80 percent of SEC teams (nine) have reached double-digit win totals in 2007.
Wildcats Look to Win Two in a Row vs. LSU for Second Time in Decade
A win on Friday evening at LSU would allow the Wildcats to accomplish a rare feat against the Tigers. Kentucky, which defeated then-No. 18 LSU in Lexington on Oct. 14, is looking to win back-to-back matches against the Tigers for just the second time this decade. Kentucky defeated LSU in two consecutive matches in the 2001 and 2002 seasons for the only back-to-back wins against LSU since 2000. UK also is looking for its first win in Baton Rouge since claiming a 3-1 victory on Nov. 5, 2002.
Live statistics for Friday?s match will be available at ukathletics.com.
