Entering the 2010 season, the Kentucky women’s volleyball team faced the challenge of replacing much of the nucleus that had led Kentucky to one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2009. However, UK was hardly in a unique situation compared with other top programs nationally.
“Penn State (ranked No. 1 preseason) has a turnover of three starters,” UK head coach Craig Skinner said. “Texas (number two) has a lot of new faces on the court; Stanford (number five) as well. Those top teams have new players and different systems.”
That national youth movement paved the way for a season of parity, and, for the first time in 109 matches and nearly three years, previously top-ranked Penn State lost a match. The Nittany Lions’ winning streak was ended this past weekend at the hands of the Stanford Cardinal in straight sets.
Heading into UK’s Friday matchup against the third-ranked Florida Gators in Lexington, Skinner recognizes the end of Penn State’s record-breaking streak as a sign of the times – parity rings true in women’s volleyball in 2010.
“It’s the most wide open year in college volleyball since three, four years ago, and I think that goes the same for the SEC,” Skinner said. “There are teams that any night can beat anybody and I think that makes for an exciting year.”
Having concluded nonconference play, No. 22 UK has already experienced the wealth of college volleyball talent around the nation with the promise of more to come entering its Southeastern Conference schedule.
Kentucky faced a nonconference slate that Skinner has called the most challenging of his tenure at UK, and it did not get off to a rousing start with losses to then-No. 2 Nebraska and then-No. 9 Iowa State to open the year. The youthful Cats rebounded, winning six of their next eight matches, including a five-set thriller against rival Louisville and back-to-back wins against VCU and Kansas State to close nonconference play.
In spite of the challenges his team faced, Skinner is quick to point out that difficult early games presented opportunities for his team to learn about itself.
“Now we know we are capable of playing at a high level,” Skinner said. “We just have to be more consistent. We have to continue to iron out the system we will play aiming for success in the long term.”
One of the reasons why UK entered this season ranked 14th, its highest preseason ranking since 1983, is Skinner’s track record of recruiting talent that can step in and contribute early. The latest example is outside hitter Whitney Billings, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 3.28 kills per set last weekend in the UK Invitational.
“You have to have freshmen capable of playing early if you want to have long term success,” Skinner said. “If you don’t have recruits that are able to contribute early, you’re going to take some setbacks.”
Billings has started nine of 10 matches this year, thanks largely to the redshirt season she spent at UK in 2009. Billings cited the year she spent on the sidelines as a major factor in her early success.
“(The redshirt year) made me stronger, more fit,” Billings said.
“Probably one of the most beneficial things we’ve been able to do is redshirt some people over the years,” Skinner said. “That year under their belts of training, getting stronger really helps them prepare to be successful right away as opposed to losing some confidence if they play right out of high school.”
UK sports four major contributors who have redshirted in their UK careers (junior outside hitter Ann Armes, sophomore setter Christine Hartmann, freshman middle blocker Alexandra Morgan and Billings). Particularly with Morgan and Billings, a year of watching from the sidelines has prepared them well for the ups and downs of a full college season.
A conference opener against Florida affords UK with yet another opportunity to see where Skinner’s young squad stacks up with the nation’s elite.
“I look for our team to be excited about the opportunity to play against a great team,” Skinner said. “Our team usually ramps it up against the better teams.”
Although there is parity in college volleyball this season and in the SEC, Florida appears to have returned to its familiar roost atop the conference (the Gators won 18 straight conference titles from 1991 to 2008). UK, Florida and Tennessee were the preseason favorites to win the league, but after the first few weeks of play, including a Florida win over Nebraska, Skinner tabbed the Gators as the team to beat once again.
“Tennessee was picked to win the SEC, but after the preseason so far, I think Florida gets the nod as to being the favorite,” Skinner said.
In a match with potential league championship implications down the line, Billings is one player Skinner will not have to worry about motivating for a matchup with Florida. Billings chose the Wildcats over the Gators, noting the “open” atmosphere of the UK program and campus.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Kentucky has developed a bit of a rivalry with Florida in its rise to national and conference prominence. UK and Florida have split their regular-season meetings each of the past two seasons. In light of Florida’s near two decade stranglehold on the SEC championship that ended last season, that stands as a testament to the rise of Skinner’s Wildcats.
Now, Skinner is hoping to keep his team there.
“We played three top 15 teams and had chances to win against two of them,” Skinner said. “Florida is a great team, but the expectation is to put ourselves in a position to win.”
