Gators Face No. 25 Kentucky in Battle of League Unbeatens
Thursday, October 9, 2008 | Volleyball
The No. 9/8 Florida volleyball team will entertain No. 25 Kentucky in a battle of top-25 Southeastern Conference unbeatens on Friday. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center between the Gators and Wildcats is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and the match will be carried live on WRUF AM-850 with Tom Collett and Missy Whittemore, and GatorVision Online.
The Gators (12-1, 6-0 SEC) and Wildcats (15-2, 6-0 SEC) are the only two teams in the SEC with undefeated league records, as Kentucky is ranked nationally for the first time since the 1993 campaign. Florida is 1-1 this season vs. top-25 foes and is 89-72 all-time vs. teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches' Association Top-25 Poll at the time of the match. The Gators have won six consecutive matches, while the Cats are on a 12-match winning streak.
“This is a great weekend for SEC volleyball at this point in the season with two teams that are still undefeated,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “Our fans are really in for a treat – there will be some really good volleyball here in the O'Connell Center. Kentucky is one of the best blocking teams that we will play all year. They are a team that wins, a team that blocks and a really good offensive team. This is the best Kentucky team that we've played since maybe the early 1990s. They have so many offensive weapons”
In conjunction with the University of Florida and Shands HealthCare, the Gators are hosting the inaugural “Serving up a Cure” event.
The event helps support Cure Kids Cancer, an initiative of the Children's Miracle Network. Fans are encouraged to wear orange to the match to help raise awareness of cancer in children. The first 1,000 fans to the match receive free “Serving up a Cure” orange t-shirts courtesy of Gatorade.
Throughout the evening, fans will have the opportunity to pledge money for Cure Kids Cancer through Children's Miracle Network. Those that choose to donate to the cause will have a chance to win an iPod Nano and other Gator prizes.
“There are so many reasons for us to give back to our community, particularly Shands,” Wise said. “It is one of the greatest strengths of our area. If we can raise awareness and any money, then in a small way, we are helping the lives of those battling cancer.”
Florida is led by redshirt freshman outside hitter/right-side Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.), who ranks third in the conference in kills per set with 3.70 put-downs per set. In league matches only, she is second in the conference with 3.86 kills per set. Freshman right-side/setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.), the reigning two-time SEC Freshman of the Week, follows with 3.13 kills per set, a team-leading .332 hitting percentage and ranks ninth in the league in assists per set with 5.96.
Junior libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.), who moved up to No. 5 on the school's all-time career digs list this weekend, has 1,324 career scoops. She ranks third in the SEC in digs per set with 4.39 and also is third in the conference in service aces with 0.41 aces per set.
The Gators are coming off a four-match SEC road trip in which Florida went 4-0 during that span, including victories last weekend against Alabama in Tuscaloosa and Mississippi State in Starkville. Florida leads the league in assists (13.11/set) and kills (13.98/set), while Kentucky is tops in the conference in hitting percentage (.272) and blocks (2.83/set).
Florida and Kentucky meet for the 47th time in the history of the two programs. The Gators hold a 39-7 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, including a perfect 37-0 record under the direction of Wise.
Kentucky is led by senior middle blocker Queen Nzenwa, who ranks second in the league in hitting percentage (.373) and is fourth in blocks per set with 1.15. Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Mendoza, who was a high school and club teammate of Florida's Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.), ranks ninth in the SEC in kills per set with 3.17. Junior setter Sarah Rumely, who is in her third year as the team's starting setter, leads the league with 10.66 assists per set and also ranks fifth in the league in service aces with 0.37.
Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner is in his fourth season at the helm of the Wildcats' program and has directed the Cats to a school-record three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Complete results and a recap of Friday's match will be available at www.GatorZone.com.
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