Aug. 23, 1999
The University of Kentucky volleyball team is getting into the swing of
things in their last week of practice before Saturday's intra-squad match,
the annual "Blue and White Scrimmage." The game is set for 2 p.m. and will
be the team's lone exhibition action before they open the regular season
when they host Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, September 1.
The Wildcats are looking to progress closer to their goal of returning to
SEC prominence as Jona Braden leads an experienced group of players into
battle in 1999. This is Braden's second season as head coach at UK and fans
can expect to see some exciting play from this talented team.
Last season Braden guided the Wildcats to their first winning season since
1993 and four starters are returning from that team. In seniors Katie
Eiserman and Jaclyn Homan, UK returns its second and third leading
attackers from last season in terms of number of kills and total attack
attempts. Overall the Cats have a deep roster with experienced backups at
each position to go with a very talented crop of new recruits.
One of the most highly touted recruits is Kristen Batt, the 1998 Class 5A
High School Player of the Year in Florida. Batt has been working hard with
fellow newcomers Elizabeth McCaslin, Aleisha Craven and junior college
transfer Melissa Kracht over the last two weeks and Braden says they are
growing as players everyday.
The only thing slowing this team down has been the injury bug that has hit
the team's setter position. Senior Terri Crabb is coming off her third knee
surgery in the last year and has been in and out of action throughout the
first two weeks of practice due to some occasional swelling in her
surgically repaired right knee. Whitney Sample, UK's assist leader from
1998, has had some soreness in her back that has kept her out of most of
the team's workouts. In their absence, Eiserman and Stacey Wallace have
filled the setting role quite admirably and Braden believes that either of
them will be ready to step into game action if the natural setters aren't
healthy enough to play.
Even though the recent SEC coaches poll has tabbed Kentucky to finish
fifth in the Eastern Division for the second straight year, those in the
Wildcat's camp feel strongly that the team will improve on its 6-8
conference record of a year ago. While Braden is still in the early stages
of her rebuilding of the UK volleyball program, there is a quiet confidence
that the Wildcats will be making some noise in the SEC this season.
Fans can catch their first glimpse of that potential for themselves in the
legendary Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.
