By Madison Tinder

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Just five games remain in the regular season for a UK volleyball team that has won four straight games and the team will look to make it six straight when they travel to Ole Miss on Friday and host No. 7 Florida on Sunday.

With the NCAA Tournament set to begin in December, the Cats look to finish a remaining conference schedule in resounding fashion against teams from the bottom of the league.

However, before UK (22-4, 11-2 SEC) enters the homestretch, it faces a tough weekend test as two of the best teams in the SEC square up against the Cats.

The weekend starts with a clash against the Rebels down in Oxford, Miss., where Ole Miss is a dominant 10-1 this season. The Cats though, are no strangers to Ole Miss. They hold a 37-11 all-time record against the Rebels and have won the last six matchups in impressive fashion.

No. 15 UK has not lost a set in its last nine wins, which doesn’t bode well for a Rebels team that has lost three of its last five games.

The weekend does not end there as UK travels back to chilly Lexington to host its second to last home game of the season against the blazing hot Gators. If history doesn’t bode well for Ole Miss against UK, than the same and more can be said about Florida’s dominance over UK.

Florida (20-3, 14-0 SEC) has had the Cats’ number throughout the teams’ history. The Gators hold a 48-10 all-time and a 46-3 record against the Cats under Florida head coach Mary Wise.

Florida has yet to play UK this season so they come face-to-face with current SEC Players of the Week seniors Lauren O’Conner and Jackie Napper. The award was the second consecutive player of the week award for O’Conner while Napper also earned her fourth Defensive Player of the Week award for her against Georgia and Missouri. The three awards bring UK’s total award count this season to eight, the most in program history.

UK will play Ole Miss at 7:30 p.m. in Oxford, Miss. and will travel back home to host Florida at 12 p.m. on Sunday in Memorial Coliseum.