UK Volleyball Star Avery Skinner Transfers to Baylor

Hannah Phillips | UK Athletics

One of Kentucky’s brightest stars from the 2020 National Championship volleyball team will be taking her talents elsewhere for her final year of collegiate eligibility. Baylor University announced Tuesday that Avery Skinner will join the Bears’ program as a graduate transfer.

“I am absolutely thrilled about the addition of Avery Skinner to our program. She is an extremely talented and skilled athlete with strong leadership skills,” said Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre. “Most importantly, we are adding an experienced national champion to our squad. She sees the bigger picture and has a healthy ambition to be great and help those around her.”

The outside hitter was a First Team All-American as a senior, hitting at a .366 clip with 3.77 kills per set to help the Cats win their first National Title. After a slow start, Skinner turned it on and recorded 14 kills in the four-set win over Texas.

Kentucky’s seniors could have used a COVID-19 waiver to return for one more season. All four chose to end their time in Lexington on a high. Skinner is the only outgoing senior of the four who will continue to play in college after she was accepted into Baylor’s graduate school for Communication Sciences and Disorders. Baylor is just 2.5 hours from Skinner’s hometown of Katy, Tx.

“I’m excited to follow Avery continue the high level of education she aspires for in graduate school and advance her NCAA Volleyball career,” said UK head coach Craig Skinner.

Skinner’s younger sister, Madi, will be a sophomore for the Wildcats next season. She headlined Kentucky’s top-ranked 2020 recruiting class as the No. 2 player in America. The incoming 2021 recruiting class is also ranked in the top five nationally.