Amaya Tillman Announced as Kentucky Volleyball Assistant Coach
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Volleyball program announced Monday afternoon that Amaya Tillman has been hired as an assistant coach and will join Craig Skinner’s staff.
Tillman, an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American at Louisville, joins Kentucky after an illustrious career at Louisville, where she was named the 2020 and 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year twice, the winner of the Elite 90 Award at the 2022 NCAA Final Four as having the highest grade-point average of any participant in the event, an All-ACC performer and AVCA First Team All-Region in her senior season with UofL.
“I am honored to begin my coaching career as a Wildcat,” Tillman said. “Craig (Skinner) has built one of the best volleyball programs in the country with a deep tradition of winning. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn from an exceptional staff. Returning to the volleyball community is incredibly exciting and I look forward to adding value to Kentucky’s program through my experience as a former student-athlete and my work in leadership development at the NCAA! Go Cats!”
Tillman played middle blocker for Louisville from 2019-2022 and hails from Topeka, Kansas as a graduate of Shawnee Heights High School. In her historic senior season that saw UL make the NCAA Final Four, Tillman led the ACC in blocks with 166 blocks and played in 114 sets. She notched 244 kills hitting .333, 19 aces, and 43 blocks to earn 357.0 points for the Cardinals. Her season-high 14 kills came in a win against Wake Forest, as she also had a stellar offensive season, recording 11 double-digit kill matches for the Cards.
“We are thrilled to add Amaya to our staff and program,” UK head coach Craig Skinner said. “I had a ton of respect for her as a player at Louisville and also the way she handled herself through the recruiting process. She will be a great role model for our players and future recruits. Kentucky Volleyball got better today! I want to also thank Merideth Jewell, for securing Amaya as a candidate for this position.”
Amaya will start at Kentucky in her position immediately.
For the latest on UK Volleyball, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @KentuckyVB.
