Kentucky Travels to South Carolina as Calendar Turns to November

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 5 Kentucky Volleyball team travels south this week as the calendar flips to November for a two-match Southeastern Conference series against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C., beginning Thursday night.
 
The two-match series will have matches Thursday and Friday nights at 7 p.m. ET with both matches broadcasted live on the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the ESPN app from the Carolina Volleyball Center in downtown Columbia.
 
Kentucky is 16-3 overall on the year and sits atop the SEC standings as the lone remaining unbeaten with a 9-0 in-league record. UK has won a season-high 10 matches in a row dating back to its Sept. 19 win against the Stanford Cardinal in Lexington.
 
The South Carolina Gamecocks are 12-10 on the year overall and 4-8 in the SEC led by fourth-year head coach Tom Mendoza. The Gamecocks are squarely on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament as the season shifts towards the final month, as USC sits at No. 47 in the RPI with quality non-conference wins, specifically in its home arena.
 
UK is No. 6 in the RPI and sits one spot higher in the NCAA’s Selection Committee’s eyes, as revealed Sunday night in the top-10 unveil. The Wildcats are led by Madi Skinner’s 3.88 kills per set and Emma Grome’s 11.20 assists per set this season and the No. 3 non-conference strength of schedule outside of conference play.
 
The Wildcats lead the all-time series with the Gamecocks 39-18, including having won the last 14 matches in a row dating back to 2010. UK has won 13 sets in a row over USC and in the team’s last meeting, Kentucky swept the Gamecocks on Nov. 15, 2019. The two teams did not meet a season ago due to COVID issues the week of the scheduled spring competition dates.
 
Follow along with the Wildcats on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.