UK ATHLETICS

News Release

Big Blue Nation will get its first look at the 2019 Kentucky Volleyball team on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. ET vs. Western Kentucky for an exhibition match to take place at Dunbar High School in Lexington.

 Wednesday night marks the 15th year of head coach Craig Skinner’s tenure at Kentucky, something that will be celebrated all season long. In one of Skinner’s most memorable matches at UK, the Wildcats were trailing two sets to none to WKU in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament thanks in large part to the performance of Hilltopper, Alyssa Cavanaugh.

 Cavanaugh is now fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), after being diagnosed in September of 2018. Wednesday’s match will be played with her in mind, as both teams will be wearing orange warm-up shirts – which is the color of the Bone Marrow and Cancer Foundation. Following warm-ups, both teams will change into their traditional uniforms for the match.

 Admission to Wednesday’s match is free, however donations will be accepted and encouraged for the Bone and Marrow Cancer Foundation upon entry to the Dunbar High School gymnasium. T-shirts will be on sale to help benefit the cause, as well. Donations will be accepted in cash or check only.

 Statement from UK head coach, Craig Skinner:

“For someone who has given so much to the sport of volleyball in the state of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University, we hope that this small gesture of ours can go a long way in helping the fight against cancer.”

 About the Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation:

The Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation (BMCF) offers financial assistance and free support services to cancer and transplant patients and their families. The BMCF relies 100% on private donations to provide these vital services. Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation is the only organization of its kind that does not limit assistance to a specific disease, type of transplant, or age range.

Nine games featured on ESPN networks

CHARLOTTE — The No. 7 Kentucky Volleyball team will have at least nine matches shown live on ESPN’s family of networks in 2019, including non-conference match-ups with No. 17 Purdue and No. 25 Louisville in the month of September.

 ESPN has dedicated full resources to its 2019 coverage of NCAA volleyball, with over 65 matches appearing on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and the SEC Network.

 UK will play its first TV game on Sept. 18 vs. Purdue live on ESPNU in a rematch of the 2018 Lexington Sub-Regional final which saw UK advance to the Sweet 16. Two days later, the SEC Network will host coverage of the 2019 Battle of the Bluegrass between the No. 7 Wildcats and No. 25 Cardinals from Memorial Coliseum at 8 p.m. ET.

 Kentucky’s first road match on television will be at Mizzou on Sept. 29 live on ESPNU at 3 p.m. ET.

 Both of UK’s match-ups with No. 10 Florida will be shown live on the SEC Network, including Oct. 6 in Lexington at 1 p.m. ET.

 All of the matches shown on ESPNU and the SEC Network will also air live on the ESPN app and ESPN3 with mobile devices.

 Follow along with the Cats on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.