Kentucky Volleyball Opens Title Defense at Dayton Invitational

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Volleyball team will open its 2021 season Friday as part of a three-match tournament in Dayton, Ohio as UK will face Texas State, Dayton and Cincinnati to start the year in the Buckeye State.
 
All three matches will be held inside the Frericks Center on the campus of the University of Dayton. The matches are free to the public with no tickets required for entry, and the gym is not air conditioned, so fans are advised to dress and prepare accordingly.
 
UK’s match with UD on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET will be shown on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. The Wildcats matches with Texas State (Friday, 10:30 a.m. ET) and Cincinnati (Noon ET, Saturday) will have live stats only. Updates for all three matches can be found real-time on the UK Volleyball Twitter page (@KentuckyVB).
 
Kentucky was picked to win the Southeastern Conference for the fifth season in a row by the SEC coaches, the league office announced last week. The Wildcats also placed three on the Preseason All-SEC Team with Madi Skinner, Alli Stumler and Azhani Tealer all earning a preseason nod by the head coaches in the SEC.
 
Texas State, UK’s first opponent, was picked to win the Sun Belt’s Western Division. Dayton was picked by its league head coaches to repeat as Atlantic 10 Champions. Cincinnati was predicted to finish fifth in the American Athletic Conference.
 
Craig Skinner, entering his 17th season at the helm of Kentucky, is 1-0 against Texas State, 2-0 against Dayton and 2-4 versus Cincinnati.
 
Kentucky opens its home slate of matches on Sept. 3 against Northern Iowa at 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network, ESPN3 and the ESPN app. UK will unveil its 2020 NCAA National Championship banner at 7:20 p.m. ET before the match begins. Tickets can be purchased through UKathletics.com.
 
2021 Dayton Invitational
Frericks Center & UD Arena
Dayton, Ohio
 
Friday, Aug. 27
10:30 a.m. ET – Kentucky vs. Texas State [Frericks Center]
12:30 p.m. ET – Cincinnati at Dayton [Frericks Center, ESPN+]
7 p.m. ET – Kentucky at Dayton [Frericks Center, ESPN+]
7 p.m. ET – Texas State vs. Cincinnati [UD Arena]
 
Saturday, August 28
Noon ET – Kentucky vs. Cincinnati [Frericks Center]
2 p.m. ET – Texas State at Dayton [Frericks Center, ESPN+]
 
Follow along with the Wildcats on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.