1 Splash:2-Media Info.qxp.qxd - University of Kentucky Athletics
1 Splash:2-Media Info.qxp.qxd - University of Kentucky Athletics
1 Splash:2-Media Info.qxp.qxd - University of Kentucky Athletics
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When <strong>Kentucky</strong> head coach Craig Skinner<br />
arrived in the Bluegrass prior to the<br />
2005 season, it marked the dawning <strong>of</strong> a new<br />
era for the school’s volleyball program. In the<br />
two-year span following his introduction, the<br />
Wildcats have soared to extraordinary heights,<br />
earning back-to-back NCAA Tournament<br />
appearances and notching 17 or more wins<br />
each season.<br />
Entering the 2007 campaign, Skinner’s<br />
Wildcats are facing a new challenge. If they<br />
want to eclipse their past success and make a<br />
deep run at the Southeastern Conference title<br />
and in the NCAA Tournament, they must<br />
strike a keen balance between their six<br />
returnees, six freshmen and one transfer. There<br />
is no doubt that the team possesses a star-studded<br />
13-person roster, but the stars must align<br />
through a mix <strong>of</strong> young and old in the pursuit<br />
<strong>of</strong> a common goal – excellence.<br />
“We are looking forward to an exciting<br />
year,” Skinner said. “We have a great returning<br />
group. They are experienced, athletic and very,<br />
very driven and competitive. I think the balance<br />
<strong>of</strong> our veterans along with our incoming<br />
players is going to be an exciting dynamic.”<br />
Since Skinner’s arrival, not only have the<br />
marks in the team’s win column skyrocketed,<br />
the crowds attending home matches have also<br />
soared. <strong>Kentucky</strong> recorded the second-highest<br />
attendance in the SEC last season and Skinner<br />
looks for his squad to continue providing<br />
excitement for its fan base. With each member<br />
<strong>of</strong> the squad hungry for more, the team’s desire<br />
for improvement will be the intangible that carries<br />
the program to the next level.<br />
“The most important thing for our program<br />
is to keep having success and showing a brand<br />
<strong>of</strong> volleyball that’s exciting, energetic and<br />
dynamic to watch,” Skinner said. “Our players,<br />
ever since the end <strong>of</strong> last year, have been more<br />
motivated than ever. This group really has<br />
cemented our foundation for the long-term<br />
success <strong>of</strong> this program.”<br />
Combining a battle-tested group <strong>of</strong> veterans<br />
with the nation’s eighth-ranked recruiting class<br />
and a rigorous schedule, the Cats are poised to<br />
record one <strong>of</strong> the strongest campaigns in program<br />
history in 2007.<br />
Bartek, 6-foot-2, was the No. 13 player<br />
nationally by PrepVolleyball.com during her<br />
senior year <strong>of</strong> high school and was the 2005<br />
Nebraska Gatorade Player <strong>of</strong> Year. She set a<br />
school record with 337 blocks and ranks second<br />
all time at her high school with 1,190 kills<br />
Sarah Mendoza joins the Wildcats from<br />
Winter Park, Fla., and has been a four-year letterwinner<br />
and has claimed three state championships<br />
during her career as one <strong>of</strong> the top 50<br />
recruits in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com.<br />
Ann Armes and Blaire Hiler also add depth<br />
to the outside as Hiler is her high school’s<br />
career record holder with 1,382 kills that<br />
earned her a distinction to the Senior Aces<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2007 by PrepVolleyball.com. Armes<br />
was a two-sport standout performer in track<br />
and volleyball at Grand Island Senior High<br />
School. She was also ranked among the nation’s<br />
top seniors by PrepVolleyball.com.<br />
“We’re going to have an extremely talented<br />
group in our outside hitters,” Skinner said. “They<br />
are very diverse in some <strong>of</strong> the things that they<br />
can <strong>of</strong>fer, which makes this group very strong.<br />
They’re going to be very young but mature and<br />
competitive. It’s going to be as athletic and exciting<br />
a group <strong>of</strong> outside hitters as we’ve seen<br />
since we’ve been here.”<br />
Middle Blocker<br />
The strength <strong>of</strong> the 2007<br />
squad lies in its middle blockers,<br />
a position in which<br />
Skinner says the Wildcats<br />
have two potential All-<br />
Americans in senior Nicole<br />
Britenriker and junior<br />
Queen Nzenwa.<br />
Both returning middles<br />
were members <strong>of</strong><br />
the All-SEC second team selections last season.<br />
Britenriker led the team with 15 double-doubles<br />
and was tops on the squad with 3.62 kills per<br />
game. Nzenwa was the team’s leader in hitting<br />
percentage with a .341 hitting efficiency and also<br />
had a team-best 148 blocks on the year.<br />
“We have two potential All-Americans in<br />
our middle corps and they are very good at different<br />
areas,” Skinner said. “Nicole is very<br />
strong and athletic, and she can play the entire<br />
game. Very few athletes can play as high above<br />
the net as Queen. It has been exciting to watch<br />
the development <strong>of</strong> thesetwo over the last six<br />
months to prepare for the start <strong>of</strong> the season.”<br />
Freshman Lauren Rapp also will add to the<br />
depth <strong>of</strong> the middle blockers as a volleyball<br />
magazine Fab 50 recruit with enormous ability.<br />
Outside Hitter<br />
Youthful talent will be the name <strong>of</strong> the<br />
game for <strong>Kentucky</strong>’s outside hitters in 2007.<br />
Nebraska transfer Brooke Bartek headlines the<br />
incoming class after playing the 2006 season<br />
for the national champion Cornhuskers.<br />
Senior middle blocker Nicole Britenriker had an<br />
explosive first year with the Wildcats after transferring<br />
from Ohio State.<br />
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