Aug. 29, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following a 2-1 weekend to open the season, the Kentucky volleyball team is set to host border state rival Cincinnati, Tuesday Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. ET. UK is coming off an impressive win over then ranked No. 23 Tulsa by a 3-2 margin Saturday. Cincinnati charted a 1-3 weekend to kick of its 2011 campaign.

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Kentucky vs. Cincinnati Tues., Aug. 30 – 7:00 p.m. ET Lexington, Ky. Memorial Coliseum UK Match Notes
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Kentucky was paced by senior Becky Pavan who averaged 3.33 kills per set on a sizzling .425 hitting percentage en route to earning Florida State Invitational All-Tournament team honors. Junior Ashley Frazier ranked second on the squad with a pair of double-figure kill efforts and a 2.75 kill per set average. Senior Gretchen Gieslerjoined Pavan on the All-Tournament team after chipping in with 2.58 kills per frame on a .381 hitting clip.

Setter Elizabeth Kobersteincurrently tops the Southeastern Conference with 12 assists per set. She led the Wildcats to 14 or more kills in 8-of-12 sets in the opening weekend of play. UK is currently attacking with a .260 clip and tossing down 13.7 kills per stanza. Six different Wildcat attackers are averaging one or more kills per set.

Junior libero Stephanie Klefot ranks second in the league with 5.08 scoops per set, but charted more digs than any other player in SEC action with 61 in the first three matches of the season. She tallied 20 or more in both of Kentucky’s victories. Freshman Jackie Napperwas named the SEC Freshman of the Week after tallying 2.42 digs per set which ranked second on the squad.

Scouting the Bearcats

Cincinnati began the season with a tough opening weekend of action that included a pair of top-20 ranked opponents and earned a 1-3 record to begin the year. The Bearcats took both No. 18 Iowa State and No. 14 Northern Iowa to four sets in the losses.

Missy Harpenau leads the Bearcats with 3.29 kills per set and a 3.00 dig-per-frame average. Cincinnati is tossing down 9.78 kills per set on a .229 clip. Defensively, the Bearcats are picking up 10.22 scoops and rejecting 1.67 opponent attacks per set.

Kentucky owns an all-time 14-3 record over its border state rival. The Blue and White won the first 13 meetings in the series, but Cincinnati has taken 3-of-4 in the later portions of the series including a five-set thriller in Cincinnati a season ago.

Memorial Magic

In 34 seasons of Kentucky volleyball the Wildcats own an all-time winning percentage of .704 in the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum. UK is 333-140 all-time in its home venue.

Under the direction of Craig Skinner, Kentucky owns a 74-19 record in Memorial which is good for an .800 winning percentage.

Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum will play host to the NCAA Regionals Dec. 9-10. UK is one of four sites selected for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups with one team advancing to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, from the Lexington Region. Tickets are on sale now through the UK Ticket Office.

Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the UK volleyball team and all of Kentucky’s 22 teams.