Kentucky volleyball starts and hopes to end its 2024 season in Louisville
For the upcoming 2024 Kentucky volleyball season, Craig Skinner has skill, experience, talented newcomers and the legacy of having won seven consecutive SEC titles.
What the UK head coach doesn’t have — for the first time in four years — is a single player who was a member of the Wildcats’ 2020 national championship team.
“The players have brought that up,” said Skinner during the team’s Media Day at the Joe Craft Center on Monday. “They’re excited that no one on the team was part of the 2020 championship team. So they want their identity to be what this team is about and want to build their own expectations and results and not be compared to that team.”
“It’s been discussed quite a bit,” said senior leader Emma Grome. “I think honestly it’s been pretty cool for us this year because nobody’s had that win under their belt. So there’s a lot more urgency and desire to get there.”
The quest starts next Tuesday when Kentucky, ranked No. 9 in the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association preseason poll released Monday, plays No. 2 Nebraska in the AVCA First Serve Showcase at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville.
Following UK-Nebraska, No. 3-ranked Wisconsin plays No. 6 Louisville in the second game of the doubleheader, which starts at 7 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN2. Nebraska lost to Texas in last season’s national title game. Wisconsin lost to Texas in the national semifinals.
By the way, as the college volleyball season begins at the Yum Center it will also end there with the Final Four being played in Louisville on Dec. 19 and 22.
“When that came out four years ago that it was going to be in Louisville, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s going to be my senior year, I’m so exited,’” said Louisville native Eleanor Beavin.
After their 2020 title run, Skinner’s Cats have extended their SEC title and NCAA Tournament appearance (19) strings, but have fallen short of returning to the sport’s Final Four. The 2021 team lost in the second round where the 2022 and 2023 editions were eliminated in a regional semifinal.
The team benefited from the competition during a summer trip to Japan. Plus, UK was granted an early start because of next week’s Showcase, given 22 days before competition begins instead of 17 previously.
“I feel like we’re farther along than last year,” Beavin said.
Expectations and optimism are high.
“There are some things that we’ve seen in the gym the last two weeks we haven’t seen before,” Skinner said.
So what must happen for this team to reach its potential?
“I think we’re still figuring that out a little bit,” Grome said.
“This team is very balanced in terms of experience and new people,” Skinner said. “The biggest factor for us is finding point production across the board.”
It won’t be easy. Two-time defending national champion Texas joins Oklahoma as the SEC’s newest members. And six league teams were included in those preseason ACVA rankings — No. 1 Texas, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 11 Florida, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 19 Arkansas, No. 25 Georgia. Kentucky was picked third behind Texas and Florida in the league’s preseason poll.
“Why wouldn’t you want to be part of a league like this?” Skinner said of the challenge.
The same could be said for next Tuesday’s nationally televised special event, which contains a twist. All lines will be called by a technological system. No line judges.
“I think it’s going to be really cool,” Grome said. “Obviously nothing has been done like this in many, many years. We’re not exactly sure what to expect from it, but I think it’s really cool we get to be a part of it and hopefully prove to the world that we’re ready.”
After that comes the home opener against Northern Kentucky on Aug. 30 in Memorial Coliseum, which has undergone an $82 million renovation.
“They’re like caged animals,” said Skinner when asked about the excitement level among his players to play in the “new” Coliseum after being displaced for the season. “They really haven’t had a home for a year and a half. They can’t wait.”
2024 Kentucky volleyball schedule
Home matches in all capital letters.
Aug. 27: 1-Nebraska, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Aug. 30: 2-NORTHERN KENTUCKY, 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 31: 2-WESTERN KENTUCKY, 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 1: 2-MOREHEAD STATE, 1 p.m.
Sept. 6: 3-PENN STATE, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)
Sept. 7: 3-JAMES MADISON, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 8: 3-BALL STATE, 2 p.m.
Sept. 13: 4-At SMU, 8 p.m.
Sept. 14: 4-Purdue or Houston, TBA
Sept. 18: 5-LOUISVILLE, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Sept. 21: At Stanford, 9 p.m.
Sept. 27: At Auburn, 9 p.m. (SEC Network)
Sept. 29: At Florida, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Oct. 2: OKLAHOMA, 8 p.m. (SEC Network)
Oct. 6: MISSOURI, 1 p.m. (SEC Network)
Oct. 13: TEXAS, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Oct. 16: At Tennessee, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 20: At Alabama, TBA
Oct. 27: At Mississippi, 3 p.m.
Nov. 1: At South Carolina, TBA
Nov. 3: At Georgia, 2 p.m.
Nov. 8: TEXAS A&M, 7 p.m.
Nov. 10: LSU, 4:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Nov. 17: GEORGIA, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 20: MISSISSIPPI STATE, 7 p.m.
Nov. 24: ARKANSAS, 4 p.m. (SEC Network)
Nov. 27: At Missouri, TBA
1-AVCA First Serve Showcase at KFC Yum Center in Louisville; 2- Bluegrass Battle; 3-Kentucky Invitational; 4-SMU Invitational at Moody Coliseum in Dallas; 5-Battle of the Bluegrass.
