Ohio junior Brooke Bultema verbally committed to Kentucky last week. (Twitter Photo)
Gabby Curry will be throwing out the first pitch tonight when the Cincinnati Reds host the San Diego Padres as part of the celebration the Reds are doing for the Kentucky national champion volleyball team. The team and coaches will receive a trophy from the Reds for winning UK’s first volleyball national titles.
One of those who will be at Great American Ballpark with her family to watch the Cats being honored will be Brooke Bultema, a junior at Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati. She verbally committed to Kentucky five days ago.
“My family and I all got tickets to see the team recognized and watch the Reds game,” Bultema said. “I am super excited for that.”
Bultema is considered a top 150 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class who has been invited to the USA Volleyball National Training Development Program and played with a high-level club team — Elevation Volleyball Club.
Kentucky’s national championship was not the main reason she picked the Cats over offers/interest from others such as Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Illinois, and Purdue.
She also knows UK signee Emma Grone, a setter from Loveland, Ohio, ranked as the 25th best player in her recruiting class and an Under Armour first-team All-American.
Bultema also fell in love with the UK volleyball culture at summer camp much like Madison Lilley, the national player of the year on the national championship team, did when she came to summer camp.
“I think my decision would have been the same even if Kentucky had not won the national championship but that was definitely an incredible achievement and is awesome. Winning the national championship certainly didn’t hurt my decision to come to UK,” she laughed and said.
“But at the end of the day I chose it for the people. I learned in high school and club volleyball what type of community I thrive in and I saw that in Kentucky. I thought I could thrive with those people, too.”
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Before the game, UK coach Craig Skinner and select players will be at the Kroger in Union with the national championship trophy for fans to see. They are scheduled to be there from 4:30-5:30 p.m. before heading to the ballpark.
