Nov. 17, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior Sarah Rumely and freshman Becky Pavan were honored by the Southeastern Conference as the Offensive and Freshman Players of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday.
It was a program changing weekend for the Blue and White as they took a half of a game lead in the SEC standings with victories over South Carolina and Florida.
Rumely was a leader for UK in their two victories this weekend, including the upset over No. 12 Florida. Rumely enjoyed an all-around performance registering 46 assists, six kills, nine digs and a team-high four blocks against the Gators. Her pair of aces also moved her into fifth place all-time in the UK record books with 135 career aces. Against South Carolina, she matched a season-high with seven kills and had 29 assists, seven digs and six blocks. For the week, she led the team with 1.25 blocks per set.
The junior was sensational in directing Kentucky’s offense for the weekend. Five players averaged over 1.65 kills per set which is a sure sign of a balanced attack. She also becomes the first full-time setter to win the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award this season.
Pavan had a weekend to remember playing a huge part in both of UK’s victories. She had a team-high and career-best 14 kills on a .481 hitting percentage as the Wildcats claimed their first win over the Gators in 38 tries. She added a pair of digs and two momentum-changing blocks to help UK come from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Florida in five sets. Pavan also had the match-clinching kill in the 15-6, fifth set victory. On Friday, the freshman had seven kills on a .333 hitting percentage while leading the team with seven blocks in the sweep. For the week, Pavan led the team with 2.62 kills per set, .422 hitting percentage and 3.31 points per set.
Rumely’s honor is the fourth of the season for the Wildcats. Last week sophomore Lauren Rapp was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Sophomore Sarah Mendoza has previously earned the award twice this season. The SEC honor is the first for the junior setter since winning SEC Freshman of the Week honors three times in her first season. Additionally, Rumely was named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2006. This is Pavan’s first honor from the SEC of her career and the first Freshman of the Week nomination for Kentucky this season.
Kentucky is vying for at least a share of the SEC Championship and has two regular season matches left on the schedule. The first up is a date with Auburn in Alabama on Friday. Match time is slated to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
Follow along with the UK volleyball team all season long at UKathletics.com.
