University of Tennessee Athletics
10th-Ranked Lady Vols Look to Stay Perfect at Kentucky
October 31, 2008 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Oct. 31, 2008
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The 10th-ranked Lady Vol swimming and diving team travels to Lexington, Ky., for its first away meet of the season at 12 p.m. on Saturday against Southeastern Conference opponent Kentucky at the Lancaster Aquatic Center.
"We match up pretty well with the Wildcats," Lady Vol head coach Matt Kredich said. "Kentucky has some very good freshmen, and freshmen are always wildcards in that they could really light it up at any time. They have a few returning NCAA scorers and they cover most of the events pretty well. It should be a competitive meet."
Tennessee opened the season two weeks ago with resounding wins over the University of the Cumberlands (101-27) and Louisville (168-132) on Oct. 16 before downing Arkansas (197-103) and Vanderbilt (252-47) in a double dual meet on Oct. 17.
UK welcomes Tennessee for its home-opener. Kentucky fell to Indiana 164-121 in its season-opener on Oct. 19. Megan Pulskamp led the Wildcats in the loss to the Hoosiers. The junior won the 100y fly in 55.01 and finished second in three other events. Additionally, Kentucky senior Leah Harms placed second in the 1000y free and the 500y free.
"The No. 1 goal is to win on Saturday," Kredich said. "The other main goal is to finish our races. I'd like to see us compete with intensity from the beginning of the meet. In our first meet we looked like we were heading off on a long journey with really heavy backpacks. By the Arkansas and Vanderbilt meet we looked like we were a lot more focused and sharp. I'd like to see that first. We're going to put some of our people in events that they haven't swum yet so they can get some more experience."
The Lady Vols (4-0) were led by freshman Jenny Connolly and sophomore Aleksa Akerfelds in their first three meets.
Connolly kicked off her collegiate career with eight first-place finishes and three runner-ups. Against Louisville, she won three individual events and made the NCAA B standard in the 100y back (54.46). The West Lafayette, Ind., native ranks first in the SEC in the 100y fly (54.63) and second in the 100y back. Those performances also place her in the top three nationally in both events.
Akerfelds began her second campaign for the Lady Vols with five individual wins over two days. She won the 1000y free (9:54.91) and the 500y free (4:51.72) versus Arkansas and Vanderbilt. Her performance in the 500y free ranks second in the SEC and fifth in the in the nation.
Tennessee freshmen divers Jodie McGroarty and Gabrielle Trudeau each hit NCAA Zone Qualifying marks in their collegiate debuts. Trudeau made the mark by scoring 263.18 while winning the 1-meter competition against Louisville. McGroarty captured first in the 3-meter with a qualifying mark of 300.90 versus Arkansas and Vanderbilt. She also scored 264.75 in the 1-meter event in the double dual meet.
"I'm excited at the opportunity to take our young squad of divers on the road to compete against traditionally strong SEC opponent Kentucky," Head diving coach Dave Parrington said. "The Wildcats uncharacteristically lack depth on the boards this season, but their lone diver, Jessie Snowden, will certainly provide excellent competition."
Lady Vol divers should be challenged by Snowden, the reigning SEC Freshman Diver of the Year. The sophomore swept the diving events against UT last season. She kicked off this season by finishing third in the 1-meter and fourth in the 3-meter against Indiana.
Last season, UT defeated Kentucky, 187-112 in a double dual meet with South Carolina on Oct. 26, 2007, in Knoxville. The Lady Vols are 24-2 all-time against the Wildcats. Kentucky's last victory over Tennessee came in 1999.
