Kentucky To Face Pitt in Shriners Children’s “Showdown at the Net”
FT. WORTH, Texas – The Kentucky Volleyball team will be competing in the 2025 Shriners Children’s Showdown at the Net as part of an inaugural SEC/ACC Challenge in volleyball. Kentucky will play at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Wednesday, September 10 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas followed by the second match of the blockbuster doubleheader as Texas plays Louisville.
The SEC/ACC Shriners Children’s Showdown at the Net will feature 16 matches as SEC teams will play ACC teams across the country on the ESPN Family of Networks with 14 of the 16 matches on campus sites and two of the matches, including Kentucky’s, at Dickies Arena in Ft. Worth, Texas.
The conference-wide event begins Tuesday, Sept. 9 and continues into Wednesday, concluding at Dickies Arena in Ft. Worth with the two neutral site matches featuring Kentucky. Stanford at Missouri (ESPN2), Texas A&M at SMU (ESPN2), Georgia Tech at Tennessee (SECN) and Florida at North Carolina (ACCN) are the linear matches on Tuesday night. Tuesday also highlights four matches on digital – Georgia at Clemson (ACCNX), Virginia at Auburn (SECN+), LSU at Notre Dame (ACCNX) and Boston College at Arkansas (SECN+).
Wednesday continues the momentum with FSU at Oklahoma (SECN), South Carolina at NC State (ACCN), Ole Miss at Miami (ACCNX), Vanderbilt at Cal (ACCNX), Wake Forest at Alabama (SECN+) and Duke at Mississippi State (SECN+).
“We are excited to have the Southeastern Conference participate in the first edition of ‘Showdown at the Net’,” said Misty Brown, SEC Assistant Commissioner. “We look forward to seeing some high-caliber volleyball as the storied programs from the SEC prepare to build upon their recent successes during the 2025 season.”
Tickets for the Fort Worth event are set to go on-sale early this summer, but fans are encouraged to sign up for pre-sale alerts via www.showdownatthenet.com. Shriners Children’s Hospital serves as the title sponsor of the event taking place at Dickies Arena, adding to their portfolio of ESPN Events.
“The Shriners Children’s Showdown at the Net is another way for our healthcare system to showcase the life-changing efforts that we perform for children across the nation and worldwide,” said Bob Roller, Shriners Children’s Vice President for Sports. “We are extremely pleased to join these universities to highlight an NCAA women’s sport that is growing at an incredible pace.”
Earlier this year, ESPN Events also announced the “Broadway Block Party”, a volleyball event hosted by the Nashville Sports Council featuring three matchups between Big 10 and SEC schools.
2025 Showdown at the Net ACC/SEC Challenge
Tuesday, Sept. 9
Georgia Tech @ Tennessee (SEC Network)
Texas A&M @ SMU (ESPN2)
Boston College @ Arkansas (SEC Network+)
Stanford @ Missouri (ESPN)
Virginia @ Auburn (SEC Network+)
Florida @ North Carolina (ACC Network)
Georgia @ Clemson (ACC Network Extra)
LSU @ Notre Dame (ACC Network Extra)
Wednesday, Sept. 10
Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh (6:30pm ET, ESPN2)*
Texas vs. Louisville (7pm ET, ESPN2)*
Florida State @ Oklahoma (SEC Network)
Duke @ Mississippi State (SEC Network+)
South Carolina @ NC State (ACC Network)
Wake Forest @ Alabama (SEC Network+)
Ole Miss @ Miami (FL) (ACC Network Extra)
Vanderbilt @ California (ACC Network Extra)
* Shriners Children’s “Showdown at the Net” (Dickies Arena; Ft. Worth, Texas)
For the latest on UK Volleyball, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @KentuckyVB.
