The Kentucky volleyball team got a firsthand look at history on Wednesday.As the Wildcats continue their cultural exchange trip to China, they went to a small town outside of Baoding to visit a museum. The museum was entirely dedicated to the tunnel system the Chinese built to avoid Japan’s invasion during the Second Sino-Japanese War, which took place before and eventually as part of World War II. The museum even afforded the Cats the opportunity to walk through one of the tunnels for more than a half-mile. With the majority of players and coaches standing over six feet tall, they all learned the tunnel system was not built for a volleyball team.Later on Wednesday evening, the Cats returned to more familiar surroundings for a match against Hebei, another team from the Chinese Volleyball League. In an environment similar to Tuesday’s, UK fell, 3-1, in spite of playing well. Lauren O’Conner was the headliner, tallying 19 kills and 23 total points, but the experience of Hebei was too much to overcome even as Jackie Napper and Alyssa Gergins turned in solid matches.On Thursday, more travel is in store for the team as the Cats will depart Baoding for Zhangjiakou. Continue to check in on UKVBtoChina.com for updates.

Got an early morning tomorrow headed to Zhangjiako, our last city before we go to Beijing! ???????? #UKVBtoChina

— Lauren O’Conner (@LaurenOC12) May 28, 2014