Volleyball Set to Face Kentucky in Bluegrass Battle
September 10, 2013 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 10, 2013
The University of Louisville volleyball team will look to bounce back when they travel to in-state rival No. 19-ranked Kentucky with match time being set at 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum.
The Cards are coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Fargo Doublewood Inn Classic last weekend where they defeated host North Dakota State in straight sets last Frid0ay, before falling to Northern Iowa Saturday morning. Things did not get better when the Cardinals suffered another loss to a gritty Wisconsin squad that evening. Caitlin Welch was named to the All-Tournament team, she led all liberos in digs with a total of 50 in the three matches. Transfer Randi Ewing had a strong outing in the tournament as well, with 21 kills,.545 hitting and adding five blocks.
The team will look to return to its winning ways against a tough Kentucky force that won its own tournament, the Kentucky Classic, with a five set win over VCU and sweeps of Liberty and East Tennessee State.
The Wildcats will bring an overall record of 4-2 on the season when it faces the Cards. They were picked to finish second overall and second in the Eastern Division of the SEC this season. Kentucky returns five starters along with five more letterwinners from last year's 22-11 (14-6 SEC) effort that led them into the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. A second-team All-American selection in senior Whitney Billings leads a stacked UK squad. After rolling through their competition over the weekend, junior Jackie Napper was named the Tournament MVP with 43 digs, 18 assists, and one kill throughout the three matches. Sophomore Morgan Bergren and freshman Anni Thomasson were also selected to the All-Tournament team.
The Wildcats and Cardinals are two of the nation's top perennial powerhouses that will look to continue consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament this season with UK seeking its ninth straight and U of L its sixteenth.
The all-time series between UK and U of L is knotted at 25-25, dating back to the first meeting in 1977. The Wildcats have a 13-10 edge at home, including wins in the last two meetings in Memorial Coliseum in 2010 and 2011. The 2011 contest was a 3-0 victory for the Blue and White, the first sweep since 2005. U of L won last season's matchup, 3-1 in Louisville. Since the rivalry was renewed in 2009, each club has claimed two victories. Each school owns a 3-2 win, while UK's 2011 sweep is the only match not to go at least four sets.
The road gets no easier for the two rivals as, as the Bluegrass Battle continues Friday and Saturday in Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats face Pepperdine Friday and No. 4 Minnesota Saturday, both at 7 p.m. Louisville will also participate in the event, and face Minnesota on Friday and Pepperdine on Saturday both at 5 p.m. in the Coliseum.
