June 7, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Chosen as one of four teams to participate the Kentucky Wildcats begin their 2010 fall season with the Runza/American Volleyball Coaches Association Showcase in Omaha, Neb., playing two NCAA qualifiers in Nebraska and Iowa State beginning Aug. 28. UK plays another tough schedule under coach Craig Skinner which includes matches with nine NCAA Tournament members from a season ago.
Following the AVCA Showcase, the home opener for the Blue and White is Louisville on Sept. 1. It marks the first time the squads will play in Lexington since 2004. Louisville an NCAA qualifier last year, lost in the first round to Minnesota.
Kentucky hosts two tournaments this season. UK’s first tournament is the Kentucky Classic on Sept. 3-4. UK faces Miami (OH), South Florida and Ohio State, also an NCAA qualifier. The next weekend (Sept. 10-11) is the UK Invitational, where UK entertains Kansas State, VCU and Florida State, who knocked off Kentucky in the 2009 NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The match between the Wildcats and Seminoles was the only Sweet Sixteen match that needed all five sets to determine a winner. Florida State captured the win with a final set score of 15-13.
Prior to the UK Invitational UK meets head-to-head with Cincinnati, a NCAA qualifier and a victory last year for the Cats.
Continuing their success the past five years, the Blue and White are coming off a spectacular 2009 season making it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen, the furthest ever under Skinner. The only other SEC team to make it to the Sweet Sixteen was Florida, who UK begins SEC action with on Sept. 17 at Memorial Coliseum.
Two days later, UK hosts South Carolina and then hits the road to face Auburn (Sept. 24), Georgia (Sept. 26) and Tennessee (Sept. 29) to begin the conference slate.
The SEC reigning champion LSU, who Kentucky beat twice last year, hosts UK in Baton Rouge on Oct. 8, and then the teams meet in Lexington on Nov. 14.
UK wraps up the 2010 regular season hosting Tennessee on Nov. 24 in Memorial Coliseum.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for complete coverage of the Kentucky volleyball team.
