Kentucky Volleyball begins quest for back-to-back Championships tonight
It’s tournament time in the Bluegrass. It may seem like just yesterday Kentucky was cutting down the nets in Omaha for the volleyball program’s first national title, but the ‘Cats kick off their 2021 NCAA Tournament run tonight vs. Southeast Missouri State (SEMO).
It’s been a marathon for UK Volleyball in the past year or so. Kentucky began the 2020 season last October and played all the way until mid-April to bring home their first national championship. Then they saw their offseason cut in half. UK Volleyball turned around four months after their title to start practicing for the next season.
And here they are. At the end of a grueling 400-day stretch with a chance to win a second title in the same year — an achievement no program in any sport has probably ever accomplished.
This season’s group is much younger and different from last Spring. But head coach Craig Skinner is still confident this Kentucky team can compete for a Final Four.
When speaking to the media yesterday, he said he was impressed “with what we’ve been able to accomplish this particular season in combination with how long we’ve played.” He added, “to be able to win the national championship last year and then win the SEC again this year and with a completely different lineup and expectations — it’s impressed me a lot.”
Check out all of his pre-Tournament thoughts right here:
Kentucky’s fifth straight SEC crown and 24-4 overall record that included ranked wins over Florida (twice), Stanford, Tennessee and Mississippi State landed them the seventh overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. This means they get to host the first two rounds at Memorial Coliseum.
Tonight, UK will face its first-round opponent Southeast Missouri State. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. And Kentucky’s possible second-round opponents, Illinois and West Virginia, play beforehand at 4 p.m.
It’s going to be a rockin’ atmosphere down on Avenue of Champions. Come support the reigning champs! But if not, you can also watch the game on ESPN+.
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