Kentucky VB will be battle-tested going into NCAA Tournament: 'We can come back from literally anything'

There isn’t a situation that the Kentucky volleyball team hasn’t faced this season — both good and bad. The Wildcats will use that experience to hopefully make a deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

After posting a 25-2 overall record, which included 22 straight wins, a perfect 15-0 run in the Southeastern Conference, and an epic victory in the league tournament, Kentucky will begin its path to a second national championship on Thursday against Wofford (7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+). UK earned a 1-seed (and the No. 2 overall seed) in the NCAA Tournament during Sunday’s Selection Show.

Getting to this point certainly wasn’t an easy one for the ‘Cats. Kentucky faced 10 teams this season that were nationally ranked at the time, going 8-2 in those matches. UK finished with the second-toughest schedule in the entire country. From soul-crushing losses to improbable comeback victories and everything in between, this group has been through it all.

“I don’t think there’s much we haven’t seen,” Head coach Craig Skinner said. “We’ve been down 2-0, we’ve been up 2-0, we’ve lost the first set, we’ve won five-setters, we’ve lost five-setters. We’ve played really, really fast teams, we’ve played high and slow teams. I don’t think there’s a whole lot we’ll be surprised by.”

That isn’t hyperbole from Skinner, either. UK has gotten the opponents’ best shot all season. In particular, Kentucky’s most recent match was the aforementioned improbable comeback. Down 2-0 in the SEC Tournament championship to Texas, the Wildcats looked to be on the verge of getting swept. But championship-caliber teams find ways to fight back. UK won the final three sets to pull off one of the biggest wins of the entire college volleyball season.

If Kentucky can do that against a Texas team that also earned a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, why can’t they run the table and win another national title?

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“It just builds so much confidence,” Senior hitter Eva Hudson said. “We’re basically down by 50 (vs. Texas) in basketball terms. Coming back and winning that, it brings so much confidence to the team. Showing our grit, showing that we can rally, and if we play together, we are unstoppable.”

“I think it just shows that we can come back from literally anything,” Junior libero Molly Tuozzo added.

Kentucky drew a favorable bracket in the Lexington Region, where the Wildcats will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Memorial Coliseum, but they won’t be overlooking any opponent. Wofford won its conference tournament to make the field. In a win-or-go-home scenario, UK will lean on its past experiences to keep pushing regardless of who stands on the other side of the net.

“Just like the NCAA Tournament, the SEC is kind of like survival of the fittest,” Tuozzo said. “I think it just really shows that we can’t be scared to play our best and give everyone our best. You gotta win to keep playing, so we can’t underestimate anyone.”