SEC preseason polls predict another banner year for Kentucky volleyball
Expectations are high as usual for Kentucky’s 2025-26 volleyball season.
The Wildcats were named Tuesday as favorites to win the Southeastern Conference this season. UK received nine of the 16 first-place votes from SEC head coaches, coming in ahead of Texas (six) and Texas A&M (one).
UK is searching for its ninth straight SEC regular season title, winning at least a share of the conference title every season since 2017. The Wildcats were outright champions in five of those eight years.
UK’s run of eight straight conference titles is the second-best streak in SEC history, trailing Florida’s 18 regular season titles in a row from 1991-2008.
For the first time since 2005, the Wildcats have the opportunity to don a new conference crown. The SEC Volleyball Tournament will be re-implemented for the 2025-26 season, after being on hiatus since 2005. Before the tournament’s pause, UK tallied five SEC Tournament championships, with the last coming in 1988.
The full preseason rankings are:
▪ 1. Kentucky (9)
▪ 2. Texas (6)
▪ 3. Texas A&M (1)
▪ 4. Missouri
▪ 5. Florida
▪ 6. Tennessee
▪ 7. Oklahoma
▪ 8. LSU
▪ 9. Georgia
▪ 10. Ole Miss
▪ 11. Arkansas
▪ 12. Vanderbilt
▪ 13. Auburn
▪ 14. South Carolina
▪ 15. Mississippi State
▪ 16. Alabama
Four Cats receive preseason honors
A conference-high four Wildcats were named to the All-SEC preseason team.
Brooke Bultema, Brooklyn DeLeye, Eva Hudson and Molly Tuozzo earned spots on the squad. The preseason team is made up of the top 15 vote-getters from SEC head coaches. Texas, Texas A&M and LSU tied for the second-most representation on the preseason team, tallying two players each.
DeLeye may be the most obvious addition to the team, as the 6-foot-2 outside hitter is the reigning SEC Player of the Year. Deleye posted 4.74 kills per set and a .282 hitting percentage last season, and is looking to become the second-ever Wildcat to repeat as conference player of the year.
Bultema, a 6-3 redshirt sophomore middle blocker, is coming off her first season of playing time for the Wildcats. Her team-leading 1.01 blocks per set, paired with 2.08 kills per set and a .292 hitting percentage, earned her a spot on the 2024-25 All-SEC freshman team.
Tuozzo joins the preseason team after an All-SEC Second Team season. The 5-7 libero had 3.99 digs per set and 23 games of 10 or more digs last season.
Hudson is the only new Wildcat on the list. She transferred to UK from Purdue after leading the Big Ten in kills per set last season with a 4.81 mark.
The full SEC All-Preseason Team is:
▪ Jaela Auguste (MB, Florida)
▪ Brooke Bultema (MB, Kentucky)
▪ Brooklyn DeLeye (OH, Kentucky)
▪ Eva Hudson (OH, Kentucky)
▪ Molly Tuozzo (L, Kentucky)
▪ Jurnee Robinson (OH, LSU)
▪ Nia Washington (OH, LSU)
▪ Mokihana Tufono (S, Ole Miss)
▪ Maya Sands (L, Mizzou)
▪ Alexis Shelton (OH, Oklahoma)
▪ Caroline Kerr (S, Tennessee)
▪ Emma Halter (L, Texas)
▪ Torrey Stafford (OH, Texas)
▪ Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (MB, Texas A&M)
▪ Logan Lednicky (OPP, Texas A&M)
UK will start its regular season in the 2025 Broadway Block Party Aug. 30-31 in Nashville. The Wildcats will start the weekend at Lipscomb on Aug. 30, before a highly anticipated neutral site match against Nebraska at Bridgestone Arena on Aug. 31.