Aug. 1, 2012

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the fourth consecutive season the Kentucky volleyball team was tapped to appear on a primetime national telecast it was announced by the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday. Kentucky will host Tennessee on Sept. 26 before a national audience on ESPNU at 8 p.m. ET.

It marks the fourth consecutive season that the ESPN Family of Networks has selected the UK-Lady Vols matchup highlighting the teams that finished 1-2 in the conference a season ago. The two teams vied until the final match of the year for the SEC crown, and finished the 2011 season ranked among the top-20 teams in the nation.

A season ago, the nation was treated to a thrilling five-set affair between the two squads in Lexington, with the Blue and White prevailing in a nail-biter of a fifth frame in front of one of the largest crowds of the season in Memorial Coliseum.Every ESPNU match broadcast this season will be available on WatchESPN, with the network reaching more than 73 million homes.

In addition to the ESPNU match, UK will travel to Arkansas on Nov. 11 and have that match air live on SportSouth. That match will be available on ESPN3.com in addition to the regional channels.

The SportSouth telecasts will be distributed to more than 30 million homes in the FOX regional footprint.

Additional television broadcasts for Kentucky will be announced at a later date.UK returns three All-Americans in Whitney Billings, Christine Hartmann and Stephanie Klefot from a Sweet 16 team a season ago. In addition the Wildcats return six starters and welcome a four-member freshman class that was ranked as the 15th-best in the country.

Kentucky opens the 2012 season in front of its home crowd with the annual Kentucky Classic. The Blue and White takes on North Carolina at 7 p.m. ET on the opening night of the season.

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