Kentucky Set for Matchup with Missouri
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats will look to extend their winning streak to four straight on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Tigers of Missouri at 1:30 p.m. within the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum.
Last weekend, the Wildcats swept both matches they played in last week, taking a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-15) win from Georgia before toppling Tennessee 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-13).
Against Georgia, the Wildcats executed on offense, hitting at a .337 clip over the course of the match, highlighted by a red-hot .536 during the second set. Ten Wildcats registered points during the match with five accounting for five or more kills. With the win, head coach Craig Skinner continued a track record of excellence, coaching his team to its 11th-consecutive season with 17 wins or more. Skinner marks the 14th active coach to have such a streak.
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| #18 Kentucky vs. Mizzou | ||
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| Sun., Nov. 14 – 1:30 p.m. Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Ky. Match Notes: UK  |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network + |
Heroes Day in Memorial Coliseum
GameDay Parking
Bergren Named CoSIDA Academic All-District
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District volleyball teams for the 2015 season were released on Thursday, Nov. 5, with senior setter Morgan Bergren being named one of 48 selections. Bergren is one of six selections from CoSIDA’s second district, joining the Naval Academy’s Rachel Fortner, Louisville’s Katie George, American’s Sarah Katz, Robert Morris’ April Krivoniak and Penn State’s Haleigh Washington. First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third- team All-America honorees will be announced on Dec. 10.
Skinner Earns 11th Straight 17+ Win Season
With the win over Georgia on Nov. 5, head coach Craig Skinner achieved his 11th straight 17+ win season. The win made Skinner just the 14th active head coach to do so. Skinner joins elite company that has a proven track record of success in Jerritt Elliott (Texas), Mary Wise (Florida), Russ Rose (Penn State), John Cook (Nebraska), John Dunning (Stanford), Kelly Sheffield (Wisconsin), Chris Lamb (Wichita State), Barry Goldberg (American), Tom Hilbert (Colorado State), Dave Shoji (Hawaii), Carin Aubrey (Valparaiso), Brian Gimmillaro (Long Beach State) and Mike Jordan (New Mexico State).
Bergren Named Senior CLASS Award Finalist
Premier Sports Management announced its 10 finalists for the annual Senior CLASS Award on Friday, Oct. 30, with standout senior setter Morgan Bergren being named a finalist for the honor.
The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in September. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through Dec. 7. Fans can vote once a day until the Dec. 7 cut off. Fan votes will then be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award recipient will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.
Cats Lead SEC Play in Blocks Per Set
Defense at the net has played a large role in UK’s success in conference play, as the Kentucky Wildcats rank first in blocks per set in SEC play. The team averages 3.01 blocks per frame in conference play, with sophomores Kaz Brown and Emily Franklin and senior Morgan Bergren all ranking among the top 11 blockers in league play. Brown leads SEC play with 1.83 blocks per set,while Franklin and Bergren tie for 11th in the conference, each with 1.02 blocks per set.
Brown in National Top 10
Sophomore Kaz Brown is having a dominant season, finding herself in the top 10 nationally in both total blocks and blocks per set. Brown ranks fourth in both categories, with 1.62 blocks per set and 146 total in 2015. Her total blocks lead the SEC, while she ranks second in blocks per set in the SEC.
Dusek’s Digs, Brown’s Blocks Lead Conference
Sophomore libero Ashley Dusek now leads the Southeastern Conference in digs per set, both in all matches (5.00 digs/set) and conference-only statistics (5.09 digs/set). Dusek’s 450 total digs are a team best, with the East Bernard, Texas, native logging 234 in SEC action. Dusek’s 5.00 digs per set is also good for No. 29 in the nation. Sophomore middle Kaz Brown leads the SEC in total blocks (84) and blocks per set (1.83) in league play.
Still Streaking
Following the Nov. 8 weekend, the Kentucky Wildcats are ranked yet again in the Nov. 9 AVCA poll, coming in at 18. With the ranking, UK extends its ranking streak to 44 consecutive weeks, dating back to Aug. 18, 2012. The 44-week streak is the longest ranked streak under head coach Craig Skinner and the longest in program history.
Brown on Track for Record Season
With Kentucky looking towards the final stretch of the season, sophomore Kaz Brown has the ability to make the 2015 season one of the greatest indiviudal blocking performances in Kentucky history. Brown averages 1.62 blocks per set, and with a minimum of 15 sets left to play, she is on track to end the season with 174 block assists, which would tie for the most single-season block assists for UK all-time. Brown currently holds the single-season record for blocks during the 25-point rally scoring era with 146 so far.
Dusek in Arms Reach of Record Season
Much like her classmate Kaz Brown, sophomore Ashley Dusek is also on track for one of the best single-season digging performances in UK history. The sophomore is averaging 5.00 digs per set, and with a minimum of 15 sets remaining is on pace to finish the season with at least 525 digs, which would rank fifth all-time.
Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum will play host to the NCAA Regionals Dec. 11-12. UK is one of four sites selected for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups with one team advancing to the Final Four in Omaha, Neb., from the Lexington Region. This marks the third time in five seasons Memorial Coliseum will host this premier volleyball event.
