Carr, Cats Ready for 2026 Season
Lizzie Carr and the Kentucky volleyball team made a run to the NCAA Tournament championship match before falling in the in the title game. Carr said this year’s Cats can gain confidence from that run, as well as being motivated to take that next step this season.
“I think both of those things can be true. It’s almost like, you can keep in the back of your mind and remember that it’s a feasible thing,” Carr said. “But then again, it’s what you’re striving for every single year, but then it’s like, we were there last year. We can get there. So, there’s kind of an assurance in that almost. But at the same time, there’s a little bit more of that extra motivation of, we made it all the way there but we didn’t get over the edge.”
What do the Cats need to do to take that next step? It’s a conversation that Carr admits the team has had with each other occasionally.
“It’s not something we talk about a lot but I do think it’s something that a lot of us returners think about,” she said. “Like, we did this and we know what specific place where we fell short, so how can we focus on that? To not let that be a spot where we fall short again.”
After transferring from Purdue, Carr found her spot on the team in the spring of 2025. She evolved into one of the leaders on last year’s team as the season moved forward.
“Craig (Skinner) does a really good job of encouraging every single player, no matter your age, to be a leader and have a voice and lead by example as well,” Carr said. “I think that’s something I was able to do to a certain extent last year. To gain that respect that first spring and then last fall, I was definitely able to gain a little bit of a voice. But I definitely feel more consistent in my voice.”
The fact that the Cats have so many players back from last year’s team helps Carr, and others, be more effective leaders.
“We all know each other better,” Carr said. “All of us seniors, we were in the same class last year and so we learned in which situation certain people do better than others. Obviously, all four of us have our strengths and they’re all different. So, being able to bounce things off of each other is something that’s going to benefit our entire team.”
Carr was asked to compare this year’s team to last year’s squad at the same point.
“I would say this team does a better job of being competitive from the moment we walk into the gym,” Carr said. “Last year, we struggled to find our edge at the beginning of practices. This year, we’re doing a way better job of starting with competition from the get go. We just have to continue to work on making sure once we get there, we stay there.”
Carr and the Cats are both inspired and motivated by how last season ended. The 2026 team is looking to take that final step in the championship process.
