Coach Craig Skinner and players Alli Stumler and Azhani Tealer talked about the upcoming season Thursday. (Larry Vaught Photo)
Defending national champion Kentucky — doesn’t that have a nice ring to it — opens the season today in Dayton, Ohio, where it will play matches against Texas State, Dayton and Cincinnati this weekend. Kentucky plays Texas State this morning and then Dayton tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ before finishing off with Cincinnati at noon Saturday. Texas State was picked to win the Sun Belt’s Western Division and Dayton was picked to repeat as Atlantic 10 champion.
Here are some things that stuck out to me Thursday when coach Craig Skinner and players Alli Stumler and Azhani Tealer previewed the season.
— Sophomore Riah Walker will get the start in game on at libero, a position Gabby Curry played the last four years. Skinner said she was a “very naturally gifted passer and serve receiver” as Stumler, an All-American, nodded her head in agreement.
“Passing is the most difficult skill in volleyball outside of blocking. She’s long and she can make plays. Defensively, she is a calming influence out there,” the UK coach said.
He did say that the overall position group was the best he’s had and that senior Lauren Tharp is still competing for the job but will start the season in the same role she had last year.
— Freshman Jordyn Williams, a gifted middle blocker who was ranked No. 8 in her recruiting class, will miss the season after tearing her Achilles tendon. She impressed me in a preseason intrasquad match with her athleticism but Skinner said others now “had to put in more” to offset her loss.
— Freshman Emma Grome, the No. 25 player in her recruiting class, takes over at setter. That’s the spot national player of the year Madison Lilley had the last four seasons. Skinner said overall the freshman class has all stood out and is “as good as advertised.” He noted that outside hitter Erin Lamb has already “done things the coaches did not think she could do.”
— Tealer said even with the losses off last year’s team she’s not worried about what her role may or may not be.
“Every team is different. You cannot replace the seniors. I just really have to be myself, bringing what I can to take on a new leadership role and fill that and be the best I can be,” Tealer said.
— Stumler said the “rankings are what they are” when I asked her about UK being picked No. 3 in the preseason coaches’ poll despite the massive graduation losses off the national championship team.
“I try not to worry about stuff like that. It does put fuel in the fire wanting to prove we can get back to that spot (championship),” Stumler said. “I do not worry about numbers. Just be Kentucky volleyball. Control what we can.”
She said once she got a look at the recruits and watched the freshmen work out she knew this season could be successful.
“We just have to figure out the chemistry and have a great season,” Stumler said.
— Kentucky was a superb defensive team last year. Skinner says it might be better this year.
“This group is probably one of the best floor defensive teams I’ve had. You are going to see some plays defensively you have not seen a Kentucky volleyball team make in a while,” Skinner said.
