Offseason outlook: Kentucky volleyball is moving quickly

It may not seem like volleyball time in the Bluegrass, but pieces are already moving for Kentucky Volleyball’s upcoming season. This past week has been nothing short of newsy within the program, with different factors such as a spring schedule and a new hire coming to light.

More than two months removed from Kentucky’s Sweet 16 loss to San Diego which ended its season, the ball is rolling again. From an arena renovation to current Wildcats putting on their country’s colors, this offseason only continues to gain momentum — just a few of the many indications that the volleyball program at Kentucky as a whole is trending in the right direction.

Right around the corner

We have volleyball action sooner than you’d think. Kentucky recently announced its 2023 spring schedule and some juicy matchups present themselves.

What better way to kick off the spring season than with a fierce rivalry? The ‘Cats and Cards will be featured in the latest edition of the Commonwealth’s bitter volleyball battle. Kentucky is set to play in Louisville on March 24 in a rematch of the five-set frenzy that both squads played in September of 2022. The in-state matchup also shattered TV records when it was played.

After Louisville, Kentucky has a match with Athletes Unlimited in Memorial Coliseum. Unfamiliar with this opponent? Athletes Unlimited is a league comprised of professional volleyball players. It should be some damn good volleyball that is scheduled to be played on March 30. While this match will be the only chance that Kentucky gets to play in front of a home crowd, two familiar faces have said they will be on the floor. Ex-Wildcats Leah Edmond and Kaz Brown will be taking the floor for Athletes Unlimited in this homecoming for the tandem at Memorial Coliseum.

Guesss who gets to play in Memorial again…….

March 30th can’t come fast enough, home sweet home 😻😻😻 https://t.co/JfFngXgxHs

— Leah Edmond (@leahedmond13) February 20, 2023

Wrapping up the spring schedule for Kentucky are matches against Purdue and Pittsburgh, both away from home. The Purdue match will be on April 6 while the Pitt showdown will be 10 days later on April 16.

A reminder that Pitt and Louisville faced off in the Final Four last season, with Louisville advancing before ultimately losing to Texas in the championship match. Kentucky has its work cut out for them over the course of the four matches coming up. However, scheduling hard is no surprise for one of head coach Craig Skinner’s teams. Good to see that the philosophy of to be the best, you have to beat the best is still going strong.

New faces, new places

Kentucky hired a new associate head coach in the past week. After Anders Nelson accepted the head coaching job at Vanderbilt a couple of weeks ago, UK was in the market for a new assistant. Enter, Ben Josephson.

Josephson accepts his new Big Blue role hailing from Trinity Western, which is in the Vancouver, Canada area. He was the head coach there for 16 years, so experience shouldn’t be a problem. Josephson was full of praise for the program that he just joined.

“The success is a clear reflection of the family-feel team culture and the professionalism of the complete athlete development philosophy,” Josephson said in UK Athletics’ press release. “However, the thing that stands out the most, and what makes me most excited to get to Lexington, is the high level of character top to bottom in this program.”

Welcome to Kentucky, Ben!!! pic.twitter.com/9k2ZHOtd6I

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) February 17, 2023

This program is changing and reaching new heights — and to be honest, it’s wonderful to see.

Memorial Coliseum is also set to be renovated and Kentucky volleyball looks to be directly impacted. The renovation request has already been accepted and the new-look Memorial should be ready to roll come autumn of 2024. A model of the renovations was posted on the team’s Twitter page.

🏠Home sweet home🏠

Fall 2024#WeAreUK x #BBN pic.twitter.com/xCHOgs3pgS

— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) February 16, 2023

Putting on for their country

Let’s conclude this offseason update with some individual highlighting. Emma Grome and Elise Goetzinger will soon be packing their bags for quite the illustrious trip.

The duo will be training with USA Volleyball this weekend in Colorado Springs at the USA Volleyball training center. Grome and Goetzinger will also be trying out for the 2023 Collegiate National Team. Not too shabby of an invitation.

Reagan Rutherford was not forgotten about either. Rutherford will train with the USA National Team coaching staff in California and the Collegiate National Team in mid-March.

The ‘Cats are rolling in February. Get me to the end of summer ASAP. Volleyball season awaits!