Hudson's Storied Career Ends on Sunday
As the Kentucky volleyball season came to an end on Sunday in the NCAA Volleyball championship match, so did the prolific career of UK outside hitter Eva Hudson. And it’s a career that will be remembered for years to come.
Hudson played her first three seasons at Purdue, where she was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection three times. She was named at least honorable mention All-American all three seasons in West Lafayette.
After three seasons with the Boilermakers, Hudson entered the transfer portal and chose to bring her talents to Kentucky. And she had yet another monster season in 2025, adding to her already prodigious resume.
Hudson had a team-high 546 kills this season, in which she was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and SEC Newcomer of the year. That number broke the previous record of 539 that was accomplished by UK legend Leah Edmond in 2017.
To put Hudson’s kill numbers in perspective, consider this. Players are generally recognized with a commemorative game ball once they earn 1,000 kills in their career. Hudson got more than halfway to that number in just one season.
She finished her career with an incredible 2,201 kills in four seasons. That number ranks her just outside the top 25 in Division I history. Hudson was also the center of the offense, both at Purdue and, this season, at UK. This season, she had 1,376 attacks, which is the second-highest total in a season in UK history. Hudson finished her career with 5,821 attacks, which is 21st in Division I history in that category.
Hudson was the vocal and emotional leader for a team that went undefeated in the SEC regular season, then won the SEC Tournament and eventually advanced to the program’s second-ever Final Four.
She finished the season with yet another honor, being named to the Final Four All-Tournament team following Sunday’s match.
After the match, Hudson talked about just how amazing this group of players has been all season long.
“This group is just so special,” Hudson said. “It just makes it harder to leave, which I would say is a good thing, because if you’re happy to leave, then you’re not doing something right.”
Hudson helped lead Kentucky back to the Final Four and into the NCAA Championship match. Her incredible season will be remembered in Lexington for many years to come. And her career will be admired by anyone who loves to watch the sport of volleyball.
