Memorial Coliseum is ready for No. 9 Kentucky Volleyball's exhibition vs. No. 22 Dayton

The smell of wet paint may still be in the air, but Memorial Coliseum will host a volleyball match today. At 5 p.m. ET, No. 9 Kentucky plays No. 22 Dayton in an exhibition at the newly renovated venue. The match is closed to the media and public, but UK tweeted out some pictures of the setup and it looks fantastic.

Big Blue Nation can get its first look at the new and improved Memorial Coliseum a week from today, Friday, August 30, when Kentucky hosts Northern Kentucky in the home opener at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Between now and then, the Cats head to Louisville for a VERY big match. On Tuesday night, No. 9 Kentucky faces No. 2 Nebraska in the first half of the AVCA First Serve Showcase doubleheader. The Cats are 2-11 all-time against the Huskers, the most recent loss coming last season in Lincoln. Of course, Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner got his start at Nebraska as an assistant, helping the Huskers win the 2000 national championship and four Big 12 titles. He knows what a tall task it is to open the season against a perennial power like Nebraska.

“The challenge is you don’t really know yet what your team will look like under the lights vs. high-level competition and you know that teams like Nebraska aren’t just going to give you points; you have to earn them,” Skinner said at Kentucky Volleyball Media Day on Monday. “So, when you typically aren’t exactly where you want to be in your first match or two, so how clean can we be? How efficient can we be?”

No. 6 Louisville plays No. 3 Wisconsin in the second half of the doubleheader at the Yum Center. Both matches will air on ESPN2, bringing a big set of eyes to the college volleyball, and in turn, Kentucky.

“It’s huge for the sport,” Senior outside hitter Erin Lamb said of the event. “You see the sport grow in the last couple of years like it’s never been. It’s been amazing to be a part of. I’m so thankful that Kentucky gets the opportunity to compete, especially early on — such a high-level team, such a well-done event. It’ll be really, really good for this team.”

Tuesday’s match is the first of ten against preseason Top 25 teams this season. Coming off their seventh straight SEC Championship and another Sweet 16 run, Craig Skinner’s Cats are not slowing down.

Point Kentucky previews Kentucky’s season

That’s enough volleyball talk from me. Let’s bring in the experts. Hunter Mitchell and former Kentucky Volleyball great Leah Edmond previewed the season last night on a special edition of “Point Kentucky.” They’ll be sharing their Rapid Reactions to Kentucky’s top matches of the season on the KSR YouTube Channel.

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