With a 23-8 overall record, the Kentucky volleyball team had a standout season in 2024. While Craig Skinner’s girls didn’t get past the regional final in the NCAA Championship that year, thanks to a 3-0 defeat to Pittsburgh, the Wildcats fared much better in the SEC. An eighth straight Southeastern Conference title win reaffirmed the program’s superiority over its regional peers beyond any doubt. And now, as the 2025 season awaits kick-off, it seems like the Wildcats’ triumphs from the past season are already making their colleagues project another big year ahead for Kentucky.

Skinner’s team will begin its 2025 campaign by taking on Lipscomb on August 30. Just a day after that, Kentucky volleyball is slated to lock horns with the intimidating Nebraska Huskers in the first-ever Broadway Block Party in a nationally broadcasted TV match. Quite a challenge to face in the very second match of the season. However, it looks like the SEC is confident that the program will rise up to the challenges with gusto.

As per an X post from Jul 8 by Huskers Illustrated‘s Lincoln Arneal, Kentucky volleyball’s reason to smile in the preseason has been shared. “Kentucky edged Texas for the No. 1 spot by two points in the SEC preseason coaches poll,” reads the social media caption, as the accompanying image shows the Wildcats bagging 218 points, compared to the Longhorns’ 216, in the chart that was released on Tuesday. UK was also awarded nine of the 16 first-place votes in contrast to Texas, which had only six of those.

But the reason to beam doesn’t end just there for Kentucky volleyball, no! Skinner, the winner of the 2024 SEC Coach of the Year title, once again had his volleyball wisdom approved as the Wildcats had four players named in the preseason All-SEC team, more than any other program in the conference. If the polls predict correctly, UK could bag its ninth consecutive SEC title before heading to yet another NCAA D1 Championship later in the year.

But it does seem like winning the conference title isn’t too far-fetched a thought. Middle blocker Brooke Bultema, outside hitters Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson, and libero Molly Tuozzo’s inclusion in the All-SEC team should make it clear that the conference coaches have a deep faith in Kentucky volleyball’s roster depth.

DeLeye also comes off another individually successful season. The 6’2″ junior posted 4.74 kills per set, 46 service aces, and 515.5 points in the 2024 season, her sophomore year at Kentucky volleyball, to be named the SEC Player of the Year. Surely, the momentum will only continue this season as well. DeLeye was joined by teammate Emma Grome in the All-SEC first team, who led the SEC with 11.17 assists per set in the 2024 season. Tuozzo managed to get her name on the All-SEC second team after bagging 10+ digs in 23 matches.

So, what does all this preseason acknowledgment even entail?

Kentucky volleyball to get a confidence booster ahead of the 2025 season?

The Kentucky Wildcats last won the NCAA D1 trophy in 2020 by defeating the Texas Longhorns by 3-1 at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. Since then, Skinner’s team hasn’t been able to find a spot in the top four at the national volleyball tournament, despite the coach winning the SEC Coach of the Year title twice in the meantime.

However, some might point out that it’s actually Skinner who could be responsible for the poor result on the NCAA stage. After all, former Kentucky volleyball star Madisen Skinner revealed in December last year that her communication gap with the head coach was the primary reason for the opposite hitter to decide and transfer over to Texas just one year after winning the national title with the Wildcats. But looking at the roster’s scintillating all-around performance in the last season, one can confidently say that the coach has been able to bridge the gap between himself and the athletes.

But can that, paired with the SEC’s preseason list, be enough to help Kentucky volleyball finally reclaim its high throne on the national stage? Share your predictions about the Wildcats’ upcoming season with us!