Kentucky volleyball hosting No. 7 Texas on Sunday in rematch of 2020 title game

No. 12 Kentucky volleyball will receive the ESPN treatment for Sunday’s important match against No. 7 Texas. This top 15 matchup at Memorial Coliseum serves as the rematch of the 2020 national title game, which saw Kentucky rope the Longhorns in four sets to earn the program’s first-ever title.

The Big Blue Nation will hope for a repeat performance from the Wildcats in what will be its first SEC showdown with Texas. The match will begin at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday. Tickets are still available through the link here. Let’s dive into a quick preview of what’s in store.

#BBN, WE NEED YOU THIS SUNDAY‼️

📍 Historic Memorial Coliseum
🆚 Texas
🚨 ⏰ 1pm ET first serve🚨 pic.twitter.com/sNIcQo29F7

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) October 10, 2024

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We’ll start with Craig Skinner’s Kentucky (9-6; 3-1 SEC) team, which has won three straight matches after dropping the SEC opener to Auburn in five sets. Those consecutive conference wins came against No. 15 Florida, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Texas presents an entirely different kind of challenge though, one that will look familiar to the beginning of the Wildcats’ regular season.

Prior to SEC play, Kentucky sat on a 6-5 record to start the season. Five losses through 11 games is never ideal for a group with title aspirations, but the Wildcats faced arguably the toughest non-conference slate in the country. All five losses came to teams that are currently ranked in the Top 10 (including four among the Top 5). While yes, it would have been nice for the Wildcats to snag a handful of those opportunities, the losses at least tested this group along the way. There should be no surprises when Texas comes to Lexington.

As for Texas (9-3; 4-0 SEC), the Longhorns are the back-to-back reigning national champions. The roster includes a pair of former Kentucky players too, Reagan Rutherford and Madisen Skinner — two preseason National Player of the Year candidates. Both helped Texas win the national championship last season. Skinner was a member of UK’s 2020 title team.

Texas holds the all-time series lead against UK 14-4 with a 4-2 mark in Lexington. These two programs actually faced each other regularly in the 1980s and 1990s, but this will be just the fourth meeting since 2011. The Longhorns were predicted to finish first in the SEC while Kentucky was right behind in second.

Kentucky has dominated the SEC over the last decade, winning seven consecutive SEC regular season championships. But Texas is coming for the crown in year one. The league’s top dog midway through the season will be decided on Sunday.