Volleyball Cats Help Skinner Check Another Box in Storied Career

Kentucky volleyball head coach Craig Skinner has had an incredible career in Lexington. His program has won nine consecutive Southeastern Conference regular season titles and the 2020 NCAA Championship.

On Sunday, Skinner did something he had never done before – he won a match in the SEC Tournament. Granted, Skinner had coached a total of one game in the tournament, which is back in 2025 after a 20-year hiatus. Skinner’s first UK team lost to Arkansas in the 2005 tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

However, in the 2025 version of the event, Skinner’s Cats were able to sweep Auburn in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal match against either Florida or Tennessee on Monday.

Brooklyn DeLeye led the Cats with 15 kills on Sunday. She knew that the Cats had to be prepared to face Auburn for a second time this season.

“We had already played them once this year, but it was a while ago, so we new it was going to be a completely new matchup,” DeLeye told the SEC Network following the match. “Just coming out strong and knowing that they weren’t going to back away as the game went on (was important).”

Senior Eva Hudson, who had 13 kills and hit .520 on Sunday, thinks that Kentucky is having a special season because of their togetherness.

“I think we just clicked automatically,” Hudson said. “Our whole team has been (in Lexington) since Janaury, the freshmen came early, the transfers came early, so we’ve just been together. We know the work that’s being put in and all the grit that we show on the court.”

Hudson knows that, especially in the postseason, it’s crucial to take things one game at a time.

“We just take it one game at a time,” Hudson said. “Obviously, that’s a really good Auburn team, so we had to prepare for them and now we can focus on the next team.”

As for the SEC Tournament, DeLeye believes it’s a special event.

“It’s been amazing. It’s obviously the first one in 20 years, which is such a cool opportunity for the SEC. I think we’re all just grateful to be here.”

DeLeye and Hudson helped Skinner check another box in his successful tenure at Kentucky – winning a match in the SEC Tournament.