Kentucky Volleyball Embracing Change Heading into 2023 Season

Change isn’t something that most people are comfortable with. But for UK head coach Craig Skinner and the rest of the Kentucky volleyball team, it’s something they’ve had to quickly adapt to heading into the 2023 season. 

“Going into year 19 here at Kentucky and probably one of the years with the most change in our program — six new players, new associate head coach, new assistant coach, the climate of college athletics. There’s just so many different things going on,” Skinner said.

Playing inside Rupp Arena

That’s not even mentioning the fact that Memorial Coliseum, the usual home venue for the Cats, is currently undergoing an $82 million renovation that won’t be completed until the fall of 2024. 

As a result, the Wildcats will host all of their opponents at Rupp Arena through the completion of the 2023 season, beginning with Pittsburgh on September 1. The home debut will be the first of back-to-back matches against the Panthers as a part of the 84 Lumber Volleyball Classic. Following the match in Lexington on Friday, Kentucky will travel to the Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh for a rematch on Sunday. The Panthers are coming off a Final Four run last year that ended in a five-set loss to Louisville. And with such a marquee opponent standing across the net in the home-opener, Skinner and company have their sights set on breaking a program record.

“We’re trying to break an attendance record for Kentucky volleyball which is just under 10,000,” Skinner said. “Love to see our fans get 10,000 people in Rupp Arena for that.”

The current attendance record stands at 9,475, a number set in October of 1993 in a match against LSU. 

As exciting as the prospect of playing in Rupp is, however, it also presents a unique set of challenges. Different sightlines, depth perception and even airflow are all new obstacles that the Cats will need to navigate when competing at home this year. 

“The depth perception will make a difference. It’s probably just a matter of time and getting used to it. Because the depth perception has changed, we’re running a little bit even faster of an offense than we have in the past. So that precision will become very important as well.”

Playing style changes

Luckily for them, an exhibition match against Western Kentucky on Thursday should provide the perfect opportunity to work out the new environmental kinks. But aside from the unique challenge of playing inside of Rupp, the coaching staff is also intrigued to see the way their team responds to a change in play style, as well as some intense competition for playing time. 

“We’re implementing a lot of new things and the style of play that we’re doing. So I want to see that under the lights. There’s a lot of people battling for playing time, probably more depth in every position than we’ve had in the last couple of years.”

New faces for the Wildcats

A large part of that depth includes five new freshmen who are already making an impact on the practice court. 

“They’re going to make my job very difficult in a good way because they’re going to give themselves opportunities to play. They’re already doing that. The physicality that they bring is impressive, and the speed. They just do things naturally that other people can’t. We say in our program, ‘Character is culture.’ And they just bring an enormous amount of character to our program, like the people they’re joining.”

Joining the freshmen is incoming Oklahoma transfer Megan Wilson, a 6’5” outside hitter who saw tremendous success in two seasons with the Sooners. While Wilson seemed to struggle at times when she first arrived on campus in the spring, Skinner is confident the junior is ready to make a big impact as a Wildcat. 

“Megan has had a great few days of practice. She looked like a deer in the headlights in the spring to be honest with you. Lot of things going in and out of her brain. But she has been very good the last couple of days, performing and competing. When you’re 6’5” and can attack the ball at that point it gets you an advantage. She’s doing well.”

The return of Madison Lilley

Outside of the new faces on the court, Kentucky fans will see one a bit more familiar to them on the sidelines this year, as former National Player of the Year and National Champion Madison Lilley returns to Kentucky as a full-time assistant. Lilley is returning to Lexington after a professional career in France where she won her league’s gold medal while playing for Beziers Angels. 

“Obviously, her resume speaks for itself as a player here at Kentucky — National Player of the Year, National Champion. But her experience as a professional, learning how to adapt, adjust to different situations is huge for a setter to know. And she has a ton of confidence and a ton of intuition about the game that she can relay to our setters, especially, and then others. Her experience will really give those guys an advantage I think.”

Fans can catch their first glimpse of the 2023 Cats Thursday, August 17 in the exhibition match against Western Kentucky inside Rupp Arena. First serve is set for 6:00 p.m. and admission is free to the public.