Sept. 19, 2000
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - One of the premier volleyball rivalries in the Commonwealth will be renewed when Western Kentucky travels up the Bluegrass Parkway to take on Kentucky Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CDT) at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington. UK holds a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Lady Toppers, although Western has more than held its own in its last two encounters with the Wildcats, sweeping Kentucky in 1998 and losing a narrow four-game verdict last year.
WKU enters Tuesday's match with a solid 10-3 record after a second-place finish last weekend at the Raider Challenge, which was held on the Wright State University campus in Dayton, Ohio. The Lady Toppers sandwiched three-game wins over Central Florida and Tennessee Tech around a tough five-game loss to the host school. Junior left-side hitter Tara Thomas and junior outside hitter Natalie Furry represented Western on the all-tournament team. It was the third time this season Thomas earned all-tournament honors, while Furry was lauded for the second time this year.
Thomas recorded two double-doubles in WKU's three matches over the weekend, highlighted by a 12-kill, 19-dig performance in the Lady Toppers' 61-minute drubbing of Tennessee Tech. Furry was an offensive force during the two-day tournament, posting a stellar .392 hitting percentage while averaging 3.55 kills and 2.36 digs per game for Western. Her high point came in the Lady Toppers' win over Central Florida, when she rolled up a career-high .619 hitting percentage and posted her third double-double of the season with 14 kills and 12 digs.
While Western Kentucky has jumped out to a strong start, Kentucky is still looking to find its sea legs this season. The Wildcats are 2-7, having lost six of their last seven matches since beginning the year at 1-1. Most recently, UK dropped all three of its contests at the Kentucky Conference Challenge last weekend in Lexington, falling to Southern Illinois (3-0), Austin Peay (3-2) and James Madison (3-1) during the two-day affair.
Yet, despite its early-season struggles, Kentucky has reason to be optimistic about its future. Middle blocker Megan Weiskircher averaged 3.67 kills per game during last weekend's tournament, picking up the Most Valuable Player award. Outside hitter Stephenie Taylor logged 2.83 kills per game and posted double digits in kills in all three of the Wildcats' matches at the KCC. Kentucky has also continued its tradition as a strong defensive team, posting 17 blocks against Austin Peay and recording better than 2.5 blocks per game last weekend. Weiskircher had six blocks against APSU and James Madison, while Taylor totaled eight rejections against Austin Peay.
-- WKU --
