Sophomores Ready for Bigger Roles

As the 2020-21 Kentucky volleyball season played out, a number of players were able to contribute at various times. Among those who may not have gotten the amount of attention or press were a group of freshmen who all had impacts that ultimately led to a season that ended with a national championship.

Now, Bella Bell, Sophie Fischer, Elise Goetzinger and Riah Walker are all sophomores. And they’re all sophomores with national championship rings. That experience can only help make this season’s UK team even better.

Bell, who is starting her third year with the program after redshirting in 2019, played for the first time for UK last season. And she proved that no moment was too big for her by posting seven kills in a match at Florida.

Bell, a 6-3 middle blocker from Blythewood, South Carolina, was pleased with how the season went.

“I feel like it went pretty daggone well,” Bell said. “I feel like I improved a lot. We were always in the gym, always wanting to get better. We were trying to overcome everything else, always wanting to be in the gym. It grew us mentally, always wanting to get away from the other factors.”

Bell says she is always prepared to step into a role when needed because of her preparation in practice.

“In practice, we really work on, if someone gets hurt, what we need to do,” Bell said. “(UK head coach) Craig (Skinner) really harps on making you comfortable in uncomfortable situations, being ready for your moment. That’s why I was able to go in and do what I needed to do because I was so comfortable in being ready for my moment.”

Fischer, a 6-5 outside hitter from Fort Mill, South Carolina, came to UK as one of the most highly-decorated players in her class. And, at times last season, she showed some of that promise.

Twice in the 2020-21 campaign, Fischer recorded eight kills in a match. The first came against Auburn on November 7. Just one week later, Fischer matched that total in a match against Mississippi State.

Fischer knows that last season was all about getting to know the college game.

“I think individually, I got to learn a bunch,” Fischer said. “It was a great growth season for me personally.”

As for what she has been working on during the offseason, Fischer has turned to fine-tuning her game.

“I’m focusing on the little things,” Fischer said. “Also my strength, just getting stronger.”

Goetzinger was a key contributor to the Cats’ national championship run last season. She played every set in the NCAA Tournament and even registered her career high in kills (eight) in UK’s first-round win over UNLV.

While she didn’t expect to be such a huge part of the team’s title run, Goetzinger was ready for her opportunity when it came.

“Not expecting it, but I was ready to be put in that position,” Goetzinger said. “It wasn’t a surprise but it was definitely an honor to be able to start and contribute in the championship match.”

Goetzinger knows that there will be many pressures on this year’s UK team to defend their national title.

“I just think we don’t need to put as much pressure on ourselves,” Goetzinger said. “There is definitely a huge target on our backs and I think we can look at that as a challenge. I think we need to take it game by game.”

Rutherford battled through injuries last season but was able to play in 23 sets overall. She had 44 kills and hit .281 during her first season at UK, which was a campaign she thoroughly enjoyed.

“Just to be a part of the team, the chemistry we had, it was something special,” Rutherford said.

Now, the former setter has spent the season honing her skills to be even better for this year.

“I’ve been working on a lot of my passing, including my setting,” Rutherford said. “I just want to be an all-around good player.”

“We’re working for another national championship and to expand our program.”

Walker also came up clutch for the Cats in the NCAA Tournament. In the national semifinals against Washington, she had two service aces and six digs as Kentucky topped Washington. Then in the national title game, Walker had two more aces and four digs as the Cats claimed the championship.

As a freshman playing in the national championship, was she nervous?

“I was definitely nervous but confident at the same time,” Walker said. “I think that I was very well-prepared for moments like that. Going into those moments made it easy. It felt natural.”

As for her serving prowess, that was not something that she came by naturally.

“When I came here, they tore down my whole serving routine,” Walker said. “I was actually not confident in my serve until fairly late in the season.”

All four of these players will feed off the experience they gained last season. And with UK having spots to fill, all four could be even bigger contributors this season.