How do the 'Cats Survive the Non-Conference Battlefield? Our Prediction

Ok all the talk is over we finally get to answer some questions like:

Who starts the season at Setter? Who starts the season at RS? And how darn good is this Kentucky team really?

Well I think there will be a stark difference between August and December (as there always is with a Craig Skinner team), but regardless it's our job as fans to predict things to keep ourselves occupied so why not.  Here is our predictions for the Kentucky Non-Conference W/L Results based only on how we have seen the opponents that have played (LOL) because we know no more than any of you on who will start at either of those two important positions.

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Opener vs. Lipscomb W (1-0) Not the cakewalk you would expect as they are a very solid program that does every thing correctly eventhough they were swept by Nebraska on Friday.  Giving the W to the Cats, but 3-1.

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Match #2 vs. #1 Nebraska L (1-1) This match just isn't fair this season.  Nebraska the most veteran squad in the NCAA and ticked off, plus they have 3 matches under their belt and a nights rest and a prep day a scout for UK.  Kentucky will play Saturday late afternoon, rehydrate and eat, the rooks will try and sort out the cobwebs good or bad and oh by the way here are the Huskers for ya watch a couple minutes of film, go to bed wake up in the AM and head to the Arena to do a Serve/Pass to get used to a brand new arena and floor and then BOOM first primetime match for the rooks.  Guess who is going to have ZERO sympathy for UK, that's right, Harper Murray, Andi Jackson, DBK, and the rest of the Blood Hungry Huskers.

I just don't think this is a great matchup anyway for Kentucky, and especially at this time of the year.  I hope they take a set from Nebraska, but I don't think they do.  I love the UK, but it lost 0-3 to Nebraska.

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Match #3 at #2 Penn State L (1-2). Anywhere else, anywhere else in America, I call this a coin flip and probably take Kentucky coming off the Nebraska loss, but why did we have to schedule this at Penn State?  No one wins there.  Cats battle hard, but they will have to come up with an entirely new level of grit and fight than I saw in the spring to take this to 5.  That place is brutal to opponents, and the Cats got run out of the gym in Louisville in April by the fans.  Penn State wins 3-1

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Match #4 vs a directional school W (2-2) Cats win 3-0 and heal up a bit.

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Match #5 vs #3 Pitt at Ft. Worth (Coin Toss) This is the match.  Neutral Court again.  What have the rooks learned since Nashville?  Pitt is just as young as Kentucky, probably more so.  If Kentucky wants to achieve the goals they should achieve, they will win this match (Pitt is saying the same thing).  These are matches that I have "heard" Kentucky used to win all the time, but I have never seen one in my time jumping on the Skinner bandwagon a year to late.  This really is the time that whoever the Setter is and whoever the option is on the RS grow up and become 5-star worthy and yes that is pressure, but you are at Kentucky and have Final Four pieces at OH, MB and Libero so the squad needs you to perform and as they say in the biz "this is what you signed up for" you could have gone to (I won't say, but about 200 other schools if you didn't want the heat).  I'm going Cats in 5 because they have to have this for seeding later.

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Match #6 at #10 SMU W (4-2). Wow, it doesn't get easier.  The Ponies are hungry and play with a chip.  Especially at their place, man, they already feel disrespected and want a W over any "Blue Blood" program they can get.  Plus, they have a very talented team and maybe more experience than the UK.  The Cats will have been away from Lex for several days by then, and it's easy to let down the young players.  If they let up at all from the Pitt W, they will lose.  This is a great NCAA Sweet 16/Round of 8 weekend scenario rehearsal where you can not let up after one win because you have a great team waiting the next day.  It will be a Horse and Cat fight, but this is where your All-Americans and I mean Tuozzo and DeLeye better carry you to a tough 4 set W (Cats 3-1).

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Match #7 neutral court vs. Houston W (5-2) OK, this game (as a lifelong Vikings fan, where we can never have nice things) scares the heck out of me. The Cats have been away from their own beds for a while, eating that famous BBQ for a few days, and getting comfy with the Texas lifestyle.  Two huge wins over Pitt and then SMU, now all they have to do is finish it off with a win vs. unranked Houston (whose Freshman Setter was club teammates with your incoming OH Belamie Beus from Idaho Crush, and we love her here at VBAdrenaline, but that's another story), and how easy is this to let down and drop this match.  Cats survive, but are sloppy (3-2)

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Match #8 at #4 Louisville "The Battle for the Commonwealth" L (5-3). At the Yum Center, we will see. I know this will be better than April, but the Cards have dominated the Cats for four years, and at The Yum, it hasn't been competitive.  What concerned me in April was that Kentucky just didn't play with any emotion, almost like robots, as if they couldn't wait to start Summer break the next day.  I understand "it was Spring Ball", but that didn't stop Louisville from playing hard and getting excited even when they rotated lineups and mixed in new players.  There just wasn't any leadership, and I have always defended and cheered for UK, but that wasn't fun to watch.  So I know they are much better than that, but I hope they play like much more of a team that enjoys playing together and is high energy and is having fun because they are going to have to have some energy and emotion to pull out some of these tough matches in the SEC and tourney.  This is a rivalry that Louisville has dominated and Kentucky simply hansn't shown any life.  I know it's not cheerleading, but I'd love to see the Cats come out and care about this match as much as the Cards have the past few seasons.  Until then, I simply think it's an even talent match and extra emotion carries the Cards (3-1)

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Match #9 vs. Washington W (6-3) A bottom-of-the-pack B1G squad that the Cats should handle easily to finish out non-conference and head into SEC play tested and ready.  That won't be any easier than it is, as talented as it ever has been.  I think if you are a Kentucky fan that I'd be very happy with 6-3 considering the schedule, but who knows.  It's all about developing and seeing what the roster is made of for the SEC and December run.

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**Also, while typing this article, we found out that Ava Sarafa has been named starting Setter for the Cats to start the season, and that Asia Thigpen will start at RS, so those questions are answered for now.  More to come on those later.