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Sunday afternoon's battle in Reed Arena was just as predicted: a war to the end. Sadly, the Cats lost that battle. With only 9 games left on the regular season schedule, the 18th ranked Kill(er) Kittens need to recover quickly and focus on delivering their best day in and day out to ensure the best possible position for the post-season tournament. (Our goal - get to the Sweet 16 or better!)
I really can't describe Sunday's bizarre match up. The Aggies came out very strong in the first and second sets, and everytime the Cats seemed poised to pull away? TAMU's Shelby Sullivan, Stephanie Aiple and Amy Nettles came to spoil the fun. After dropping the first set 22-25, the Cats were poised for the victory in the second but due to an epically bad call by the refs (a kill called out of bounds despite CLEARLY contacting Aggieflesh) dropped the second set as well. The Kittens came out in a FIGHTING mood for the third set, at one point leading 21-10 before settling for a 25-17 win. In the fourth and final set, the Aggies - who had looked bewildered for most of the third set - came storming back for a decisive 25-16 victory and claimed the game.
TL; DR? We lost, and we lost big.
So for Wednesday's match against the 8-15 (1-8 in SEC play) Lady Vols? We best not see any of that nonsense from Sunday. Seniors Lauren O'Conner and Jackie Napper's leadership is desperately needed to help guide our younger players through the end of the season. Also look for Anni Thomasson, who had a somewhat quiet Sunday to come roaring back in front of the home crowd.
Good news, Wednesday's game is the DanceBlueMatch! If you're not familiar with DanceBlue, you're missing out on a truly incredible event hosted by UK students which last year raised over $1.4 million dollars for pediatric cancer patients and their families. It is THE largest philanthropic event in the SEC, and is a source of much pride for the UK community. To support DanceBlue, fans can pledge money for each of UK's kills, digs or assists. More information about pledging, including where to send money is on the pledge form. Fans can pledge money both in attendance at Wednesday's match or while watching the contest live on ESPNU.
Join us at 8 PM Wednesday to cheer our Cats onto victory and support a fabulous cause! You can catch the Kill(er) Kittens, and Coach Skinner's fabulous gold tie, on ESPN-U. Hope to see you there!