1 Splash:2-Media Info.qxp.qxd - University of Kentucky Athletics

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