LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Having captured its first 20-win season since the 1993 campaign, the Kentucky volleyball team plays host to No. 8 Florida on Sunday for its final regular-season home match. Opening serve in Memorial Coliseum is set for 1 p.m. EST. Live statistics will be available at ukathletics.com with live video available through Extreme Access.
Seniors Kathleen Bowler (Naperville, Ill.) and Nicole Britenriker (Cincinnati, Ohio) will be honored following the match as part of Senior Day festivities.
The Wildcats (20-8, 11-6 Southeastern Conference) are coming off a convincing 3-0 sweep of South Carolina on Friday night. Four Kentucky players registered double-digit kills in the match and the Cats hit .338 as a team to mark UK?s third-best hitting efficiency of the season and its best in league action this year.
Junior middle blocker Queen Nzenwa (Baltimore, Md.) leads a powerful blocking attack by the Wildcats. She ranks sixth in the nation and second in the SEC with 1.63 rejections per game. She also is hitting a squad-best .376 on the year. Britenriker leads UK and is fifth in the SEC with 3.94 kills per game, and is second on the team in blocks with 1.19 per game. She has notched double-digit kills in each of the team?s 28 matches this season.
Kentucky, which surpassed last season?s win total of 19 with Friday?s win against South Carolina, will be looking for its fourth upset against a top 25 foe in the past two seasons when it faces the No. 8 Gators. UK has knocked off three ranked teams over the past two years and nearly upset Florida in Memorial Coliseum last season before falling in five games. Prior to last season, the Cats had not beaten a ranked foe in their previous 63 attempts dating back to 1993.
The Wildcats, who currently are in second place in the SEC Eastern Division standings, will be looking to tie the 1993 squad with its 12th conference victory on Sunday. Kentucky matched last season?s league win total of 11 on Friday against the Gamecocks.
UK is an impressive 11-2 (.846) at home this season and 24-4 (.857) in Memorial Coliseum over the past two seasons. Kentucky is 7-2 this season in home SEC contests.
The Gators (23-1, 16-1 SEC) clinched their 17th consecutive SEC title on Friday evening with a 3-0 win against Tennessee in Knoxville. Florida has posted six consecutive sweeps and have won seven matches in a row since falling to Arkansas for the Gators? only loss of the season on Oct. 12.
Florida is under the direction of former Kentucky assistant Mary Wise, one of the winningest coaches in collegiate volleyball history. Wise was an assistant coach at UK from 1986-90, rising to the position of associate head coach. She is 545-55 in her 17-year tenure, including a 291-9 mark in league action.
Senior setter Angie McGinnis leads the SEC and ranks 15th in the NCAA with 13.42 assists per game. McGinnis, who is Florida?s career assists leader, is tops on the squad with a .377 hitting percentage and is third on the team with 1.05 blocks per game.
Complete results and a recap of Sunday?s match will be available at ukathletics.com.
