Wildcats and Cardinals face off in Bluegrass State showdown in Louisville
.@UKCoachSkinner previews tomorrow’s @KentuckyVB vs Louisville matchup. #WeAreUK #One #BBN http://t.co/ALnxa0f33x
— KYwildcatsTV (@KYwildcatsTV) September 8, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 16 University of Kentucky volleyball team travels to in-state rival Louisville for a mid-week matchup Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Wildcats concluded their six-match season-opening homestand by going 2-1 at the Commonwealth Classic. UK earned wins over Northern Iowa and Creighton, and suffered its first loss of the season to No. 6 Southern Cal. Senior Jackie Napper and junior Shelby Workman earned All-Tournament Team honors.
Kentucky owns a 26-25 edge in the all-time series against its in-state rivals after a 3-2 victory in Lexington last season. The Wildcats have won three of the last four contests and the two teams are an even 3-3 in Craig Skinner’s 10 years as UK head coach. UK is looking for its first win at U of L since 1993.
Tuesday’s match will be a homecoming for Napper, a Louisville native. In the second match of the season, Napper became the 13th player in school history to total 1,000 career digs. She has led UK in digs five times this season, including four match-high totals.
Workman, who has led UK in kills in each of the last four matches, has notched 10 or more kills in each contest, setting a career-long streak of 10 or more kills in a match. In UK’s win over Northern Iowa, she posted a career-high 18 kills, followed by 13 against USC and 12 against Creighton, all match-high totals.
Live stats from Tuesday’s contest in Louisville can be found at UKathletics.com, while a live video stream will be available on GoCards.com.
NO. 16 KENTUCKY AT LOUISVILLE MATCH CENTER
When: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Ky.
Tickets: Ticketmaster.com | 502-852-5151
Video Stream: GoCards.com ($)
Live Stats: UKathletics.com
Match Info: Match Notes (PDF)
Additional Info: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
THE MARCH TO 210: THREE WINS AWAY
Tenth-year head coach Craig Skinner is three wins shy of becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach. With 207 victories, he is second on UK’s all-time wins list, four behind Kathy DeBoer, who tallied 209 in nine seasons from 1984-92.
– Skinner won his 200th career match in a 3-0 win at Ole Miss on Nov. 17, 2013
– Skinner’s 200th career win was also UK’s 20th of the 2013 campaign, which marked the third consecutive 20-win season and sixth in the past seven years
– Kentucky has totaled 17 or more victories in all nine seasons of Skinner’s tenure, setting a program record for consecutive 17-win seasons, previously set from 1977-84 and again from 1987-93
SCOUTING LOUISVILLE
In its first season in the ACC, Louisville is 3-2 on the season after going 2-1 at the Active Ankle Challenge, hosted by U of L. The Cardinals swept Tennessee State and Cincinnati before a 3-1 loss to Appalachian State. Louisville’s signature win came at the ACC/B1G Challenge, where the Cardinals downed No. 12 Minnesota, 3-1, in Minneapolis.
Maya McClendon leads U of L with 57 kills for a 3.35 kills per set rate on .209 hitting to go along with 54 digs and nine blocks. Katie George has a team-best 49 digs and 193 assists with 15 kills, while Tess Clark’s .479 hitting and 16 blocks leads the team. McClendon and George were named to the All-Active Ankle Challenge All-Tournament Team.
Anne Kordes is in her fourth season as head coach of the Cardinals and owns an 80-23 record. Louisville went 23-8 in 2013 and captured the American Athletic Conference championship in its only season in the league.
KENTUCKY-LOUISVILLE SERIES HISTORY
Kentucky owns a 26-25 edge in the all-time series, dating back to the first meeting in 1977. The Wildcats have won three of the last four, including a 3-2 victory in 2013. UK is 11-13 all-time against U of L in Louisville, but winless on the road since 1993. In the Craig Skinner era, each team has won three contests, all since the series resumed on an annual basis in 2009 after three seasons off.
Last season in Memorial Coliseum, Kentucky won a five-set thriller (17-25, 25-23, 25-20, 19-25, 15-11). Anni Thomasson led UK with a team-high-tying 13 kills and a team best 16 digs, both career highs at the time for the outside hitter. Alexandra Morgan also contributed 13 kills and a team-best .407 hitting clip, while Shelby Workman added 11 kills. A then career best 51 assists from Morgan Bergren was a match high. On the defensive side, Morgan had five blocks to lead the Wildcats.
Photo: Regina Rickert
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