Recapping Kentucky volleyball's 2022 Media Day

Tuesday was Media Day for the Kentucky volleyball program, which begins its 2022 season later in the week. The Wildcats come into the year as a nationally ranked program once again and the favorites to win the SEC for the sixth straight year. UK will look to shake off a disappointing end to the 2021 season when the ‘Cats were stunned in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Illinois.

Kentucky kicks off the 2022 schedule this weekend with a pair of games, one on Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST against Marquette and another on Sunday against Ohio at 4:00 p.m. EST. UK will play both games in Memorial Coliseum. The schedule truly heats up in mid-September when Kentucky will play No. 1 Nebraska, No. 3 Wisconsin, and No. 4 Louisville all within a 10-day stretch.

What should the Big Blue Nation expect out of the NCAA’s new volleyball powerhouse? Allow head coach Craig Skinner and a few of his players to explain what’s ahead.

Head coach Craig Skinner

Now entering his 18th season as Kentucky’s head coach, Skinner believes he has a roster that covers all areas of the floor. There is a slew of newcomers on this season’s roster, including a trio of transfers and a pair of freshmen, but they’ll be complemented by plenty of veteran depth. Granted, a couple of All-Americans graduated from the 2021 group, but his team is loaded with elite athletes and features plenty of versatility across the board.

The 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year, setter Emma Grome, is back for her sophomore season, as is the SEC’s 2021 Libero of the Year Eleanor Beavin, who is also entering her sophomore season. Core players from last season’s squad such as senior libero Maddie Berezowitz, junior libero Riah Walker, junior opposite hitter Reagan Rutherford (who was mentioned by name as someone Skinner has seen significant improvement from over the offseason), and junior middle blocker Elise Goetzinger, all return.

Most importantly, Kentucky is getting another year from middle blocker Azhani Tealer, who was tabbed to the All-SEC team in 2021 and also won three-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week awards. The Texas native was a key piece of the 2020 national champion team and is set up to have a career season in 2022.

“You know what you get with Azhani every day,” Skinner said of Tealer. “You’re gonna get explosive athleticism, you’re gonna get presence, you’re gonna get leadership, you’re gonna get effort, you’re gonna get someone who cares about her own development but also cares a lot about her teammate’s development.

“You have a lot of trust and faith in her. She can score points, she can block, just her willingness to give herself to the team regardless of what position she’s played — because we’ve moved her around — is something that I think a lot of younger players in this sport need to look up to someone like that. She obviously impacts our team and will again this year. Her legacy will be bigger than that for sure though.”

Along with Tealer, Beavin, Grome, and Rutherford were all named to the SEC Preseason team.

Skinner also broke down all five newcomers individually. The transfers include senior outside hitter Adanna Rollins (Penn State) and two Bluegrass State natives in sophomore setter Lane Jenkins (Loyola-Chicago; born in Lexington, KY) and Kelly Franxman (Xavier; born in Taylor Mill, KY).

As for the two incoming freshmen, Kentucky has brought in outside hitter Haley Melby and libero Audrey Whitworth, the latter of which is the first recruit signed by Skinner who is not from the Lexington, Louisville, or Northern Kentucky area.

As the press conference rolled along, Skinner was eventually asked about the potential facility upgrades to Memorial Coliseum where the volleyball team plays and practices. Currently, the building does not have any air conditioning, but athletic director Mitch Barnhart said earlier this month that upgrades are on the way for next year.

“You’re always looking for progressive things happening,” Skinner said when asked about possible upgrades to Memorial Coliseum. “When you talk to recruits and talk to club coaches — what’s happening, what’s new, what’s going on — and there’s things that we’ve done with our recruiting room and locker room and how we travel and the upgrade to Memorial Coliseum is a significant advancement on a facility that’s a special venue. We all like new things and it’s a great time and we’ve earned the opportunity to get that chance to have those things happen. When you walk in there when it’s all said and done, I think our fans and future recruits will really enjoy it.”

The final note from Skinner’s press conference we’ll talk about was when he discussed the continued growth of the sport of volleyball, particularly here in Lexington. The preseason Top 25 has programs from all over the country, including Kentucky at No. 11.

The more volleyball has grown at Kentucky, the larger the target has been on the program’s back. UK has owned the conference over the last few years. Skinner joked that his staff unintentionally broke a rule over the summer and four SEC schools quickly turned him in over it.

Reagan Rutherford, Azhani Tealer, and Emma Grome

After Skinner left the podium, a Wildcat trio of Reagan Rutherford, Azhani Tealer, and Emma Grome took the microphone to give their Media Day thoughts. They talked about bouncing back from last season’s early tournament exit, how this team compares to ones in years past, their individual expectations, and much more.

You can hear from all three below.