LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Kentucky returns home to the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum this weekend when it plays host to South Carolina and No. 8 Florida in the final home weekend of the regular season.
The Wildcats have been incredibly successful at home over the past two seasons, going a combined 23-4 (.851) since the 2006 campaign. Kentucky is 10-2 (.883) within the Coliseum so far this season and last season?s 13-2 mark was the Cats? best at home since 1993.
Opening serve for Friday?s match is set for 7 p.m. EST, while Sunday?s match commences at 1 p.m., which is a change from the original time.
Upset-Minded Wildcats
Though Kentucky will be facing No. 8 Florida on Sunday, that is no cause for concern for the Wildcats. In fact, over the past two seasons, UK has knocked off three ranked foes and nearly pulled off an upset of Florida when the Gators traveled to Memorial Coliseum last year. Prior to last season?s win against No. 18 Tennessee, the Cats had not beaten a ranked opponent in their previous 63 attempts dating back to the 1993 campaign. Kentucky?s win against No. 20 Ohio last season propelled the Wildcats into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, also a first since the 1993 season.
Cats vs. Top 25 Teams (Past Two Seasons)
Date Opponent Result W/L 9/17/06 vs. #18 LSU 1-3 L 9/29/06 vs. #10 Florida 2-3 L 10/11/06 vs. #18 Tennessee 3-2 W 10/20/06 at #12 LSU 0-3 L 11/19/06 at #7 Florida 0-3 L 11/30/06 vs. #20 Ohio 3-2 W 12/1/06 vs. #23 Purdue 0-3 L 10/5/07 at #6 Florida 0-3 L 10/14/07 vs. #18 LSU 3-2 W
Wildcats and Rebels on Verge of Scoring Records Last Sunday
Kentucky and Ole Miss? battle on Sunday, that concluded with a dramatic 41-39 win by the Rebels in game four, was one for the NCAA record books.
Between the two teams, 256 total points were scored in the match. Though the NCAA does not keep records for combined points in a match by both teams, Ole Miss finished tied for the second-most points ever in a four-game match under the rally-scoring format with 131, while the Wildcats concluded the match tied for 13th-place all time with 125 total points.
In fact, the fourth game of the match marked just the 25th time in NCAA history, under the rally-scoring format, that one or more teams eclipsed the 40-point plateau in a single game.
This marks the second time in school history that the Wildcats have been part of one of the nation?s longest games. In the previous side-out format (15 points), Kentucky participated in the third-longest single game in NCAA history. The Wildcats dropped a 25-23 game-two decision to Oregon State on Sept. 3, 1994.
Most Points Scored in an NCAA Four-Game Match Under the 30-Point Scoring Format
1.) 135, Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech (36-38, 39-37, 30-21, 30-25) - Oct. 10, 2001 2.) 131, Ole Miss vs. Kentucky (33-31,30-25,27-30,41-39) ? Nov. 4, 2007 131, Georgia vs. Alabama (30-23, 45-43, 25-30, 31-29) - Nov. 10, 2002 4.) 128, Towson vs. James Madison (37-35, 31-33, 30-20, 30-25) - Nov. 11, 2005 128, Cincinnati vs. Western Ky. (38-36, 30-25, 30-32, 30-24) - Oct. 5, 2005 128, Northern Ariz. vs. Montana (42-40, 26-30, 30-28, 30-22) - Oct. 1, 2004 128, Cincinnati vs. TCU (35-33, 33-35, 30-28, 30-10) - Sept. 29, 2001 8.) 127, LSU vs. Arkansas (39-37, 28-30, 30-27, 30-17) - Nov. 12, 2004 9.) 126, Clemson vs. Virginia (39-37, 30-27, 27-30, 30-17) - Oct. 3, 2003 126, Colorado St. vs. UNLV (29-31, 37-35, 30-26, 30-12) - Nov. 1, 2002 126, Eastern Mich. vs. Bowling Green (25-30, 31-29, 31-29, 39-37) Nov. 1, 2002 126, North Carolina vs. Wisconsin (30-28, 30-28, 36-38, 30-23) - Aug. 31, 2002 13.) 125, Kentucky vs. Ole Miss (31-33, 25-30, 30-27, 39-41) ? Nov. 4, 2007 125, Creighton vs. Southern Ill. (35-37, 30-17, 30-25, 30-23) - Oct. 29, 2004 125, IUPUI vs. Southeast Mo. St. (30-21, 34-32, 31-33, 30-25) - Sept. 6, 2003 125, Bowling Green vs. Eastern Mich. (30-25, 29-31, 29-31, 37-39) - Nov. 1, 2002 125, North Carolina vs. San Diego (30-21, 35-37, 30-25, 30-16) - Sept. 7, 2002 125, Fresno St. vs. San Jose St. (25-30, 26-30, 30-17, 44-46) - Nov. 3, 2001
Cats on the Lookout for Magic 20
When the Wildcats square off with South Carolina on Friday night, Kentucky will be looking for its 20th win of the season for the first time since the 1993 campaign. The Cats look to be one of four Southeastern Conference schools to reach 20 wins this season as Florida, LSU and Ole Miss.
Kentucky is seeking its first 20-win season for the first time since 1993, and the Wildcats have posted back-to-back 19-win seasons for the first time since the 1992-93 campaigns.
Seniors to be Honored on Sunday
Kentucky will honor seniors Kathleen Bowler (Naperville, Ill.) and Nicole Britenriker (Cincinnati, Ohio) following Sunday?s match with Florida. Both will be playing their final regular-season matches in Memorial Coliseum this weekend.
Live statistics of this weekend?s matches will be available at ukathletics.com with live video available through Extreme Access.
