Volleyball Seniors Leave Impressive Legacy
The Kentucky volleyball senior class has seen plenty of good times during their four years in Lexington. Unfortunately, Saturday night’s match against Illinois in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament was not one of those moments.
Kentucky fell to Illinois 3-1 in Saturday’s second round, ending the season for the Cats. UK finished at 25-5 less than eight months after winning the national championship.
Seniors Cameron Scheitzach, Alli Stumler and Lauren Tharp may have played their final match in Memorial on Saturday, although each are eligible to return and play one more season due to the NCAA’s rules on seasons lost due to COVID-19. None of the three has announced their decision.
Following the match, UK head coach Craig Skinner touched on how important this group has been to the Kentucky program.
“Just really proud of this group,” Skinner said. “We knew at some point, the season was going to end. We weren’t thinking it was going to happen tonight.”
This senior class has been one of the most influential groups in program history. In their four years in Lexington, the 2021 senior class has won 100 matches, four SEC championships and a national championship.
The team faced unprecedented challenges this year due to last season ending in April. Skinner was proud of how the team was able to pivot, adapt and move forward with great success.
“I’m so proud of this group because to come back and do what we did, with people like Emma (Grome) and Eleanor (Beavin) and Erin Lamb and Jordyn Williams added to the group,” Skinner said. “It’s hard for teams to jell in such a short period of time. It was certainly a challenging year but at the same time, how rewarding is it that we get to do what we do and win at the rate we’ve won the last 12 months.”
Stumler has left a lasting impact on the program. During the 25-point rally scoring era, Stumler is third in UK history in kills, second in attack attempts, second in aces, third in points and ninth in digs.
After Saturday’s match, she struggled to describe how special her time in Lexington has been.
“I don’t know if there are words. I had no idea it would end like this and be like this,” Stumler said. “Competing for national championships, winning the SEC four times in my career. It’s been an unbelievable ride and makes it a lot better when you have cool people and people who care about others and really care about the sport. It couldn’t have gone any better, despite what happened tonight, I couldn’t have asked for it to be any better.”
After the match, Scheitzach, Stumler and Tharp came back out of the locker room to acknowledge the UK fans and to have the Big Blue Nation salute them for their accomplishments. That moment was emotional in a variety of ways for Stumler.
“I think my words were, this is stinking horrible. Obviously, it’s phenenomenal to have the fan base that we have,” Stumler said. “I say it every day, the Big Blue Nation is no joke. Our fans are truly the best. Getting to soak it in one last time with them was awesome.”
Scheitzach has epitomized “team player” during her time in Lexington. She played behind All-American Madison Lilley for three years and behind Grome, the SEC Setter of the Year, this year. While her time on the court was limited, she made an impact on the practice floor each and every day.
Tharp has been a key contributor on the back line during her UK career, accumulating more than 700 digs in the process. She also proved to be a very potent server during her UK career with 63 service aces.
While the 2021 season did not end the way Scheitzach, Stumler and Tharp hoped it would, they will take with them many fond memories, including the 2020 national championship.
