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The No. 12 UK volleyball team will continue SEC play this upcoming weekend against Georgia (9-8, 1-4 SEC) and LSU (8-7, 3-3 SEC). The Cats are on a 10-game winning streak and are coming off two straight–set wins over Tennessee and Auburn.

UK (16-2, 6-0 SEC) is coming off an Auburn game in which it notched a record-setting 13 blocks and 26 block assists. The output gave the Cats their fifth SEC Defensive Player of the Week in junior middle blocker Sara Schwarzwalder. She led UK with 11 block assists, which is tied for most in UK history.

The Cats are also led by a double-threat tandem in junior outside hitter Shelby Workman and senior outside hitter Lauren O’Conner. The two lead the Cats with over 200 kills this season and both are averaging nearly four kills per set.

UK now will turn its attention to a Georgia team that has lost two in a row. The Bulldogs are struggling this season against SEC opponents. Georgia is led by the 173 kills from senior outside hitter Tirah Le’au this season and the 206 digs that senior Libero Gaby Smiley has amassed so far this year.

Another SEC showdown awaits UK when it faces LSU on Sunday. The matchup will be the second for the two teams with the Cats defeating the Tigers in four sets back in September.

LSU enters the match winning three of its last four games, two of which were set sweeps over Arkansas and Mississippi State. The Cats will have to contend with LSU’s freshman outside hitter Mimi Eugene who led the Tigers last week with 26 kills.

UK will travel to Athens, Ga, to face the Bulldogs before returning home to face LSU at Memorial Coliseum.

Staff Report