Eva Hudson Named AVCA National Player of the Week
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches’ Association announced Tuesday that Kentucky senior outside hitter Eva Hudson was selected as the AVCA National Player of the Week. She becomes the fifth different UK player all-time to win NPOW honors and the first since Leah Edmond in 2019.
Hudson hit .478 on the week with two double-figure kill matches as she had 14 kills in a sweep of Vanderbilt and her fifth 20+ kill match of the season Sunday afternoon in a sweep of No. 2 Texas in Austin. Hudson averaged 5.67 kills per set on the week while having double-doubles in both matches as she had 11 digs to compliment her 14 kills vs. VU and 11 digs as well at Texas.
Hudson led Kentucky both in kills per set and digs per set on the week with 5.67 kills per set and 3.67 digs per set in the two-match week for UK. Her .520 hitting percentage Friday night vs. Vandy was a season high. Her double-doubles were the sixth and seventh in 2025. The native of Ft. Wayne, Indiana is now averaging 4.62 kills per set in SEC play this season and has double-figure kills in every league match of the season thus far.
Kentucky ascended to No. 2 in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll on Monday afternoon, the highest the Wildcats have been ranked all season, and the highest UK has been in the poll since it finished the season No. 1 in 2020 following its national championship run.
The Wildcats play at Mizzou on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET before returning home to Historic Memorial Coliseum at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 9 against Tennessee. The Tennessee match is a Blue Out in HMC with fans encouraged to wear blue and the match airing nationally on ESPN with Anne Marie Anderson and Leah Edmond on the call from Lexington.
Past Kentucky Volleyball National Players of the Week
Krista Robinson (Oct. 4, 1993)
Lauren Rapp (Nov. 16, 2010)
Leah Edmond (Nov. 28, 2017)
Alli Stumler (Oct. 1, 2019)
Leah Edmond (Nov. 19, 2019)
Eva Hudson (Nov. 4, 2025)
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