Kentucky’s 2025 volleyball schedule filled with new-look twists and turns
The University of Kentucky volleyball team will play a shorter-than-usual regular season schedule in 2025 but it will be punctuated at the end by the return of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
The Wildcats announced a nine-game nonconference schedule Tuesday that combines with their 15-game SEC schedule revealed last month to create a 24-match regular season in 2025. That’s three fewer matches than the Wildcats played during the regular season in 2024, when they went 20-7 before winning three additional matches in the NCAA Tournament then falling to Pittsburgh one game short of the Final Four.
The SEC’s first postseason volleyball tournament since 2005 is set for Nov. 21-25 at Savannah, Georgia.
Kentucky’s nonconference slate includes matches against all four schools who played in last season’s NCAA Final Four.
The Wildcats face Nebraska in the 2025 Broadway Block Party at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, on Aug. 31, a match that will start at 11 a.m. EDT.
UK then heads to State College, Pennsylvania, for the Penn State Invitational, where it will confront the defending national champion Nittany Lions on Sept. 5.
Five days later, the Cats will be in Fort Worth, Texas, for the Shriners Children’s Showdown at the Net to face Pittsburgh, the team that sent UK home last season before moving on to the Final Four.
Finally, Kentucky visits archrival Louisville, which fell to Penn State in last season’s national championship match, on Sept. 18.
Last season, UK fell 3-1 to Nebraska, 3-2 to Penn State, 3-1 to Louisville and 3-0 to Pitt.
Kentucky’s 2025 nonconference slate also includes home matches against SMU, Houston and Washington, a road game at Lipscomb and a neutral court contest vs. New Hampshire. SMU, Washington and New Hampshire all played in last season’s NCAA tourney.
Kentucky’s 2025 conference schedule includes one date against every other SEC school. Vanderbilt is courting a varsity volleyball squad in 2025 for the first time since 1980, bringing the league to a full 16 teams.
UK will play SEC home games against Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Kentucky will visit Alabama, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas and Texas A&M.
In addition to UK, eight SEC teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season: Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M.
Kentucky has won eight consecutive SEC regular season championships.
Coach Craig Skinner, who led UK to the 2020-21 NCAA championship, enters his 21st season in Lexington in 2023 with an all-time record of 467-155.
The 2025 season gets underway Aug. 23 when Kentucky hosts Ohio State for a free admission exhibition match in Memorial Coliseum. The regular season opener is Aug. 30 at Lipscomb.
Match times and TV assignments will be set this summer by ESPN and its television partners.
2025 Kentucky volleyball schedule
Home matches in all capital letters.
All home matches in Memorial Coliseum.
Aug. 23: OHIO STATE-1
Aug. 30: At Lipscomb
Aug. 31: Nebraska-2
Sept. 5: At Penn State-3
Sept. 6: New Hampshire-3
Sept. 10: Pittsburgh-4
Sept. 13: SMU
Sept. 14: HOUSTON
Sept. 18: At Louisville
Sept. 20: WASHINGTON
Sept. 24: SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 26: GEORGIA
Oct. 3: At Ole Miss
Oct. 8: At Texas A&M
Oct. 12: At LSU
Oct. 15: AUBURN
Oct. 19: FLORIDA
Oct. 24: At Mississippi State
Oct. 26: At Alabama
Oct. 31: VANDERBILT
Nov. 2: At Texas
Nov. 7: At Missouri
Nov. 9: TENNESSEE
Nov. 14: OKLAHOMA
Nov. 16: ARKANSAS
Nov. 21-25: SEC Volleyball Tournament-5
1-Exhibition; 2-2025 Broadway Block Party at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.; 3-Penn State Invitational at University Park, Pa.; 4-Shriners Children’s Showdown at the Net at Fort Worth, Texas; 5-At Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Ga.