Annual Blue-White Scrimmage Set For Aug. 21 at 1 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky volleyball team will host its annual Blue-White scrimmage on Aug. 21 at 1 p.m., giving the Big Blue Nation an exclusive sneak peek at the 2016 team. Admission to the intrasquad match is free. 

The Blue-White scrimmage will be the first chance for fans to see the Wildcats compete in Memorial Coliseum until Sept. 9-10, when Kentucky hosts its season-opening Bluegrass Battle tournament, facing off against Marquette, Virginia and Saint Louis. 

Season and single match tickets are still available, with season ticket packages beginning at $35. Reserved single match tickets are $5 each, while general admission single match tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for seniors (65+) and youth (6-18). Children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge in general admission seating. Tickets can be purchased here.

UK will spend the first two weeks of the regular season on the road, first traveling to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take part in the Mortar Board Classic hosted by Purdue. Kentucky’s road swing concludes at the USC Radisson Classic, hosted by Southern California in Los Angeles. 

The Wildcats return a spectacular core led by juniors Ashley Dusek and Kaz Brown who are coming off historic seasons for the Cats. Dusek was named the Southeastern Conference Libero of the Year. The Wildcats have won the award in five of the last six seasons. Brown became one of the most prolific middle blockers, not only in program history, but nationally. In only her second season, Brown ranked in the top five among all players with a 1.61 blocks per set average. 

Kentucky will also see the return of junior outside hitter Darian Mack who led UK with 3.24 kills per set in 2015. Senior outside hitter Anni Thomasson will anchor the outside and will begin her final season with a chance to set numerous records in the 25-point rally scoring era including being just 194 kills shy of 1,000. Junior Emily Franklin returns to the middle having started 27 matches a season ago and totaling 1.78 kills per set while also contributing 1.01 blocks per frame. Sophomore Olivia Dailey will shift from a defensive and serving specialist to run the offense at setter.

 

For the latest on the Kentucky volleyball team, follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.