LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014, the Kentucky volleyball team is set to play 12 matches against NCAA qualifiers from a season ago as head coach Craig Skinner announced his team’s upcoming 2015 schedule on Monday. Kentucky returns five starters and nine letter winners from a team that went 27-6 last season.
Composing a challenging schedule that encompasses a multitude of playing-styles has continually prepared Skinner’s teams for post-season berths. The 2015 schedule adheres to that mold once again. UK will face nine teams and have 12 matches against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, host a non-conference tournament and rival Louisville and play host to the NCAA Regionals for the third time in five seasons (rounds of 16 and 8) Dec. 11-12 in Memorial Coliseum.
The Wildcats return five starters to the rotation, including second-team All-America selection Morgan Bergren. In all, nine letter winners return for Skinner’s squad, while the Wildcats welcome a three-member, highly-touted recruiting class to help navigate UK through another challenging schedule.
Kentucky is expected to have another jam-packed television schedule in 2015 on the SEC Network. The television schedule, and any adjusted match times will be announced at a future date by the Southeastern Conference.
More information about season tickets will be available later this summer. Fans interested in learning more about purchasing season tickets are encouraged to contact the UK Athletics Ticket Office at (859) 257-1818 or by visiting UKathletics.com/Tickets for updates as more information becomes available.
The 2015 season kicks off with the annual Bluegrass Battle in Memorial Coliseum. UK will host NCAA Tournament participants Michigan State and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and IUPUI in the opening weekend of play. UK’s official opening match will be against the Spartans on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. UK will then take on IUPUI on Saturday morning and UALR that evening.
Prior to hitting the road for two consecutive weekends, UK will host Ohio in a midweek matchup in Memorial on Sept. 1.
Kentucky’s first trip away from home will take the Wildcats to Cedar Falls, Iowa at the Northern Iowa Tournament. UK will take part in a round robin tournament with Northern Iowa, Southern Cal and Creighton for the second consecutive season. The tournament takes place Sept. 4-5 with UK’s opening match coming against the host Panthers on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
The Wildcats will next venture to Wichita, Kan., for the Wichita State Tournament Sept. 11-12. UK will face the host Shockers as well as Illinois and Northern Illinois. UK will play twice on Friday and one match on Saturday.
Kentucky will remain on the road for a midweek matchup at Xavier on Sept. 18. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Cincinnati.
UK will then play host to instate rival Louisville for the 53rd version of the in-state rivalry. UK has won four out of the last five matches against the Cardinals, including three consecutive at home.
The match against the Cards will conclude non-conference action for the Cats, as the Wildcats will then enter their 18-match schedule against SEC foes beginning with road trips to South Carolina (Sept. 25) and reigning league champion Florida (Sept. 27).
Kentucky will then play three straight at home vs. Mississippi State (Oct. 2), Alabama (Oct. 4) and Arkansas (Oct. 7). A road trip to Auburn on Oct. 16 will be followed by the second matchup of the season against the Gators at home on Oct. 18.
Kentucky will then travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a return trip to Alabama on Oct. 23. UK will then take on Ole Miss for the only time this season on Oct. 25 in Oxford, Miss.
UK will then welcome two NCAA Tournament participants from 2014 in Texas A&M (Oct. 30) and LSU (Nov. 1) to Memorial Coliseum.
The Wildcats hit the road for two-straight against Georgia (Nov. 5) and Tennessee (Nov. 8), before playing host to Missouri on Nov. 15.
Kentucky closes the road portion of the season in another tough weekend at Texas A&M (Nov. 18) and LSU (Nov. 22), before finishing out the season at home. UK’s final two matches will be against Georgia on Nov. 25 and Auburn on Nov. 27 to conclude the regular season.
The opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament kick off Dec. 4-5. Lexington will serve as a Regional site host Dec. 11-12, with the NCAA Championships slated for Dec. 17-19 in Omaha, Neb.
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the Kentucky volleyball team and all 22 varsity sports. For additional info on the volleyball team like Kentucky Volleyball on Facebook or follow the team on Twitter at @KentuckyVB.
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