UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
NCAA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
DEC. 3, 2021
MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
Kentucky Head Coach Craig Skinner
Opening statement …
“Congrats to SEMO on a great year. I thought we came in and were efficient offensively for the most part. I thought, defensively, it took us a while to get going. We need to get better at that as the match goes on tomorrow. We had a lot of balance offensively. Blocking did well with the seven blocks by Bella [Bell] and 13 kills by Madi [Skinner].”
On calling a timeout in the third set …
“I wouldn’t say it was a complete lack of focus. We tried a couple of new things with the back row stuff we were doing and tried a couple of offensive plays we hadn’t run in a while because we want to have options as the tournament goes on. We probably got a little relaxed as it went on. As the tournament goes on, we obviously want to be locked in the whole time. I think we are competitively mature to know that.”
Kentucky Student-Athletes
#2, Madi Skinner, Sophomore, Outside Hitter
On the postseason bringing out the best in her …
“We’ve been working so hard, and it’s exciting to see all of the stuff we’ve been working on pay off. It’s just time for us to go against different people that we aren’t used to seeing in our conference and show off what we can do.”
On playing in front of tonight’s crowd …
“Our fans are so consistent. We see a lot of people we recognize in the stands. That’s really cool for us, knowing they’ve come to support us during our match.”
On freshman setter Emma Grome not playing like a freshman …
“She stepped into such a crucial role. The way she has improved over the season is just incredible. She always takes feedback and she’s always encouraging us even though she’s an underclassman. We have a lot of trust in her and she has a lot of trust in us. It has allowed us to really do our job since she’s stepped into that role.”
#17, Alli Stumler, Senior, Outside Hitter
On playing in front of tonight’s crowd …
“Goosebumps. After they first said, ‘Kentucky Wildcats’ and everyone goes crazy, I was just like, ‘Dang.’ BBN showed out tonight. I think they proved themselves last week, with us playing the day after Thanksgiving. We talked about that last week, but the numbers were crazy, so I was excited to see what it would be like tonight and tomorrow.”
On preparing the younger players for the NCAA Tournament …
“Something about putting that NCAA logo on the floor adds another layer of pressure. This could potentially be your last game, so we had to prepare that way the whole week. Just trying to lead by example and show everyone that every game matters is really important.”
On being so successful from the back row …
“Good. Madi [Skinner] is always so good in that back row. I think that’s something that she even pushes me at, seeing her strive every time she hits from back there. The connection between Emma [Grome] and I is something that we are working on, and we are incorporating into our plays. It felt really good to have that rhythm.”
UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
NCAA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
DEC. 3, 2021
MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
SEMO Head Coach Julie Yankus
Opening statement …
“I’m really proud of our team and how we battled a really tough Kentucky team tonight. We have a lot to be proud of. We’ve had a very successful season. We started out slow tonight, and I’m really proud of how we still battled through the third set when we could have thrown in the towel. I’m really proud of our season overall. Kentucky’s a very good team, so I’m proud to see some of the things we did against such a really good team like that.”
On prepping for Kentucky outside hitters Ali Stumler and Madi Skinner …
“The good thing is we have two great outsides on our team that we play against every day at practice. That’s kind of how we prepped this week knowing we were going to play two really good outsides in Kentucky. We see that every day in practice and we see that a lot in the OVC. The top schools are going to have the best outside hitters. Now, the difference, of course, is they’re hitting it and the pace of how fast they set that outside ball. When they’re in system, you have to hold with the middle and then it’s up. It’s not going to her – it’s going to the outside, and that’s really tough to defend. A lot of it was well, we want to double block the outside as much as we can, but Kentucky’s so well balanced, and we have to respect all of their attackers. So, obviously, they were tough to defend, and they showed that today and played very well. We take away the shot that they’re going to hit, and we get a good touch, and then the next play, Stumler does this cross-body, look-away shot and you’re just like, ‘She’s pretty good.'”
On how the crowd tonight was representative for the growth of women’s volleyball …
“I would say the fans cheered for all the great rallies. I think it was respectful and fun in that way too, that when we made a really long, good rally, they were excited to see that.”
On how far the sport has come since starting as head coach …
“I think it has come pretty far, as far as the popularity of it, just even for ourselves. At SEMO, we have an old basketball facility that we play in, and we packed it. The last five games we’ve had at home, we have had amazing crowds and it has been fun. When you have a smaller venue, you can fill it, and so we really thrive in that environment. So, it has changed a lot. What’s great is when we have marketing people behind it and trying to find ways to get people to come to one game. And when you come to one, you want to come back. We had fraternities duking it out for a prize, and then they were like, ‘We love that, let’s go back.’ They actually enjoyed it. They just didn’t know what to expect of what the sport is at this level. It’s intense, and it’s fun, and it’s exciting to watch.”
On the end-of-season rally and the resilience of the team …
“The resilience of this team was amazing. We split a lot on the road, and as my assistant likes to say, ‘It’s tough to win on the road.’ He said that about a million times this season. We had to come back, and we knew that. We’re facing the top other three teams in the conference for our last six matches. We played back-to-back, and we went 5-1 in those matches, and luckily again, we just kept coming from behind and we weren’t going to let anything slow us down. Winning that was huge, because of hosting our conference tournament, having it at home was a great honor, but also we’re better playing at home. People want to play there. So, it was great to see the resilience and determination of this team for sure. A lot of it comes from the leadership and experience that we have on the court, and obviously the players are the ones doing all that.”
SEMO Student-Athletes
#7, Laney Malloy, Senior, Outside Hitter
On what the team found in the third set to stay competitive …
“I think for me, it was kind of setting in that this might be my last volleyball game. I was just sitting in the timeout between that break and was like, ‘I’m just going to give it everything I have, and hopefully that kind of energy will feed off to the team and everyone will have a lot more fun.’ In that third set, we were just having a lot more fun. We were smiling, we were playing together, and then we were playing well. So that has been the key for us all season. When we’re playing well, we’re having fun. I think once we get that energy going, it’s kind of contagious. I think that’s just what we did in the third set, but we just couldn’t finish it.”
On how the crowd tonight was representative for the growth of women’s volleyball …
“I definitely think women’s volleyball is the best sport to watch. Am I being biased? I’m not sure, but out of all the other sports to watch, I think volleyball is the most intense. You see the most passion, you see the most team chemistry, and I’m really excited that, especially now, women’s volleyball programs are growing and getting more recognition. We’re getting more TV time, and that’s how it should be. We should be respected like that. So, seeing this crowd tonight – I love playing in big crowds – and maybe it wasn’t for us, but they’re still there and it’s still a super fun environment to play in. I bet the final championship game is the most fun to play in. I think that’s really good that we’re making progress and taking steps toward the right direction.”
#14, Zoey Beasley, Junior, Outside Hitter
On what the team found in the third set to stay competitive …
“I completely agree with Laney [Malloy]. I feel like in the third set, we were like, we have nothing to lose, so we might as well just go for it and try our best and have the most fun we can out there.”
