Volleyball Cats Prepared for Postseason Play
The Kentucky volleyball team heard its name called as the nation’s number two seed in Sunday night’s NCAA Volleyball selection show. The Cats open play in the 2025 championship on Thursday against Wofford.
Kentucky has had an amazing season, winning both the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Cats enter the NCAA Tournament on a 22-match winning streak. UK head coach Craig Skinner knows that any team that makes the postseason can be dangerous.
“Someone asked me who I would like to see down the road but every team, when you get to this point, is capable. So, Wofford is our first opponent. If we’re lucky enough to advance, then we’ve got to play UCLA (or) Georgia Tech, who have proven they can beat teams.”
Skinner knows that Wofford is not a team the Cats can overlook.
“A lot of respect for Wofford,” Skinner said. “They were here a couple of years ago and they play a great style of volleyball. It will be a fun night on Thursday.”
Skinner is excited for the growing Kentucky fan base, who will potentially see the Cats play the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
“I’m excited for our fans because we really didn’t play that many home matches during the season,” Skinner said. “So, for us to be able to get the chance to play on our home court, home fans, sleep in our own beds, all of that stuff is exciting. The momentum and the wave of support for us is growing and we want to keep that going.”
As always, Skinner put the Cats through a rigorous schedule. UK played the other three top seeds in the 2025 tournament and all four teams from last year’s Final Four. How can that help Kentucky as the postseason begins?
“I don’t think there’s much we haven’t seen,” Skinner said. “We’ve been down 2-0, we’ve been up 2-0, we’ve lost the first set, we’ve won five setters, we’ve lost five setters. We’ve played really fast teams, we’ve played high and slow teams. I don’t think there’s a whole lot we’ll be surprised by.”
Skinner liked having the SEC Tournament back this season. He knows that it prepared all of the teams in Savannah for the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s survival,” Skinner said. “You’re fighting to survive the next point, the next set, the next match. All of the teams in Savannah felt that.”
What did Skinner learn about his team as they rallied to beat Texas in the championship match?
“The guts, the grit. You talk about, as a coach, you want to have those things,” Skinner said. “Resiliency seems to be a word that’s used quite a bit but I don’t know how you don’t use that when you come back from 2-0 and even fighting it out against Tennessee.”
Senior Eva Hudson, the SEC Player of the Year, knows that a win like the one UK had against Texas makes the team even more sure of itself.
“It just builds so much confidence,” Hudson said. “We’re basically down 50 in basketball terms and coming back and winning that, it brings so much confidence to the team. Showing our grit, showing that we can rally.”
The Cats begin the postseason on Thursday, riding the momentum of two championships, a winning streak and the fact that they have seen almost everything at some point during the 2025 campaign.
