Oct. 25, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The #19/22 Kentucky volleyball team will play their second road match on the weekend when they visit Alabama for a nationally televised match on Sunday. The two teams will square off on FSN South at 2 p.m. EST.
Kentucky (19-3, 10-1) volleyball team earned a 3-0 sweep of Mississippi State on Friday night to remain perfect against SEC West opponents. The Blue and White have tallied 10 victories in the SEC this season, and need just three more wins to tie the school record for most wins in conference action. With a win against Alabama, it would secure back-to-back 20-win seasons for UK and Head Coach Craig Skinner.UK got back to basics against the Bulldogs and turned away 15 attacks from the Mississippi State offense. Freshman Becky Pavan led the way with eight blocks, while senior Queen Nzenwa and junior Sarah Rumely each rejected five.
The last time the two teams met it was late September. In the opening match of Southeastern Conference action the Kentucky Wildcats made a statement with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Alabama. The Wildcats were sparked by sophomore Sarah Mendoza and senior Queen Nzenwa en route to their seventh straight win by the scores of 30-28, 25-16, 25-20. Mendoza paced the Wildcats with 13 kills and a career-best 14 digs for her third double-double of the season. Sophomore Lauren Rapp added 11 kills and three blocks to lead the team with 15.5 points on the night. The home squad was dominating at the net rejecting 10.5 Crimson Tide attacks, led by Nzenwa’s six put-backs. Kentucky also used an impressive .254 hitting percentage compared with Alabama’s .104.
Following the weekend match-ups with Mississippi State and Alabama to open SEC play, Mendoza won her first of two SEC Offensive Player of the Week awards. She led UK offensively on Friday night once again, with a team-high eight kills.
The Blue and White have won 16 of their last 17 matches with 11 of those victories coming in sweeps, including the 3-0 win over Mississippi State on Friday. The win Friday secured three consecutive seasons of 19 or more victories. Kentucky has won 17 or more matches in each of Skinner’s four seasons at the helm.
Tune in to watch the Wildcats and the Crimson Tide on FSN South on Sunday. Match time is slated for 2 p.m. A complete recap of the match will be available at UKathletics.com following the action.
