Wildcats look to add on to 2-0 SEC start in front of home fans this weekend
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following a 2-0 weekend to open 2019 Southeastern Conference play, the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats will look to keep it rolling as they welcome the South Carolina Gamecocks and Florida Gators to Memorial Coliseum this weekend for SEC action in the bluegrass.
Kentucky and South Carolina will play on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET in a match shown live on the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the ESPN app with Dick Gabriel and Kathy DeBoer on the call. Sunday’s ranked showdown with No. 12 Florida will have a first serve of 1 p.m. ET and broadcast live on the SEC Network with Sam Ravech and Missy Whittemore.
Tickets are available for both matches through the UK Athletics Ticket office located on Lexington Avenue or by accessing UKathletics.com/Tickets.
The Wildcats are coming off a 2-0 weekend with wins over Mississippi State and a road victory at No. 19 Missouri to open conference play. Sophomore outside hitter Alli Stumler was named the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association National Player of the Week in addition to being the SEC Player of the Week. Stumler averaged 5.15 kills per set last weekend, including setting a new career high in the match vs. Mississippi State with 20 terminations in the four-setter against the Bulldogs.
Junior setter Madison Lilley continued to pace the Kentucky attack notching her fourth 40-plus assists match of the season in UK’s 3-1 win over Mississippi State. She also had her season-high tying sixth kill of the match to end it vs. Missouri on a dump at 24-21 in the third set to close out the Tigers on the road in straight sets.
Kentucky leads the all-time series with South Carolina 37-18 and has won the last 12 meetings dating back to 2011. The last USC win against the Wildcats was in 2010. Florida leads the series with UK 51-16, however, Kentucky has won three of the last five and swept the Gators 3-0 a season ago in the team’s only meeting of the season.
Dating back to 2017, Kentucky has won 27 straight SEC matches, with UK’s last loss coming against Florida on Nov. 1, 2017. UK went 18-0 last year en route to back-to-back SEC titles.
