Volleyball Cats Ready for Another Postseason Run
Just over seven months after winning the NCAA Volleyball championship, Kentucky now knows where its title defense will begin.
On Sunday night, the Cats found out that they are seeded seventh nationally will host the first and second rounds at Memorial Coliseum on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 3 and 4). If UK makes it through those two rounds, the Cats would likely play at second-seeded Texas, the team they beat for the national title earlier this season.
Kentucky’s first-round opponent will be Southeast Missouri State, champions of the Ohio Valley Conference. If the Cats win that match, they will face the winner of Illinois and West Virginia.
Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner is ready to get the title defense underway.
“Looking forward to it,” Skinner said. “We’ve had a great regular season. Really proud of our players for putting ourselves in position to compete again on the national stage.”
Skinner has been happy with how his team has come along this season.
“I could not be happier at how we’ve evolved,” Skinner said. “The growth (is due to) the patience of our leadership and the development of our younger players.”
As the NCAA Tournament begins, the UK head coach likes where his team is.
“We’re in a great place. Our team is playing with a lot of confidence,” Skinner said. “We’re executing at a really high level both offensively and defensively. There’s a few things we still want to shore up but overall, I think we’re in a really good spot.”
As far as the draw in Lexington, Skinner knows that his team will be challenged this weekend.
“SEMO, West Virginia, Illinois, all great teams, well-coached,” Skinner said. “They’ll be well-prepared by Friday and it’s going to be a great weekend in Lexington.”
Kentucky senior Alli Stumler, who was named SEC Player of the Year on Sunday, is ready to lead her team into its title defense.
“There’s no better group than I would rather go to battle with than this crew right here,” Stumler said. “We had some losses early on but we showed that we can bounce back. We’re 100 percent on the same page and want to be successful. We’re going to get prepared for SEMO and get after it on Friday.”
Stumler knows that, like they have all season, the Cats will enter the postseason with a huge target on their backs.
“From the start of the season, we knew we had that target on our back and it’s something we embraced,” Stumler said. “We have had a lot of ups and downs. Every team that comes in this gym, or we step in theirs, is going to bring their best against Kentucky, the defending national champs. But pressure is a privilege, but it’s something this group can handle.”
If the Cats advance, they could go into a regional with Texas, Nebraska and Washington in what would look more like a Final Four than a regional. But Stumler knows that she and the team must take things one step at a time.
“It’s definitely easy to look ahead but, all year long, you want to look ahead but you have to stay focused on this day right now,” Stumler said. “Craig always challenges us to be the best today so we can be the best tomorrow.”
The title defense begins with Southeast Missouri State on Friday in Memorial Coliseum. The Cats appear to be peaking at the right time and are ready to make another NCAA Tournament run.
