Sept. 25, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the fourth consecutive season Kentucky and Tennessee will meet in a nationally televised broadcast when the two squads hit the court at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday in Memorial Coliseum. The match is slated to air live on ESPNU with Adam Amin and Maria Taylor on the call.
All fans are encouraged to wear white to help “Whiteout Memorial” for the 2012 edition of the annual event. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free “Wildcat Whiteout” t-shirt at the marketing gazebo.
It is the fourth-straight year the team’s opening matchup of the season will be featured on Wednesday’s lineup of collegiate volleyball.
Kentucky (7-6, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) enters the meeting with the No. 25 Lady Vols (9-4, 2-2 SEC) following a dramatic five-set victory at Texas A&M on Sunday that saw a pair of Wildcats achieve important milestones.
Senior libero Stephanie Klefot officially moved into second place in the UK record books for career digs, which also ranks as the 10th best total in league history. Senior outside hitter Ashley Frazier launched 16 kills in the matchup with the Aggies to push her career total to 1,010 hammers to become the 15th player in program history to achieve the feat.
Junior Whitney Billings had a sterling stat line with her 18th career double-double effort in the win to spark the Cats. Billings had 16 kills and 16 digs, while also contributing five service aces and six blocks in the victory.
Senior setter Christine Hartmann led a balanced offensive attack with a season-high 55 assists in the win. Billings and Frazier both totaled 16 kills and sophomore Lauren O’Conner added 12.
Much like UK, Tennessee is coming off a 1-1 weekend. After falling to Arkansas at home, 3-1, the Volunteers bounced back with a 3-1 win over South Carolina on Sunday.
Last season, UK and UT split the season series, with each team winning at home which included a win for UK on ESPNU in mid-October. The Lady Vols own a 2-1 record in nationally televised matches with the Blue and White.
With her 36th assist again Arkansas on Friday sophomore setter Mary Pollmiller became the seventh player in UT history to record 2,000 career assists.
Outside hitter Kelsey Robinson leads the way offensively for the Vols with 238 kills (4.86 kills per set) hitting .256 for the season. Right side hitter Leslie Cikra is hitting a robust .322 with 150 kills on the season. Robinson is also second on the team with 190 digs on the season, right behind libero Ellen Mullins who has 196 scoops on the season. Cikra leads the team in blocks with 47 (0.9 blocks per set).
In the Craig Skinner era, UT leads the series 8-6, but Kentucky leads the overall series 41-29 dating back to 1977.
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the UK volleyball team. For additional coverage of the volleyball squad be sure and check out CatScratchesBlog.com/volleyball.
