After winning its eighth straight SEC championship, Kentucky volleyball earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cats finished the season strong, winning 11 straight games in SEC play, which included eight sweeps. This run helped star sophomore Brooklyn DeLeye win SEC Player of the Year and Head Coach Craig Skinner win SEC Coach of the Year honors.
With all the success in the regular season, Kentucky earned the right to host the first two matches in Lexington as the Cats try to make it to the Final Four in Louisville.
In Kentucky’s first match, it will take on Cleveland State on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Cleveland State
Cleveland State received an automatic bid into the NCAA Volleyball Tournament after capturing the 2024 Horizon League Tournament title last weekend.
The Vikings are (23-9) on the season and had a record of 11-7 in Horizon League play.
Cleveland State had three players make the All-League First Team as senior Liberty Torres leads the team with 475 kills and 3.96 kills per set.
Sophomore Nia Hall joined her as outside hitter and contributed 387 kills with 3.25 kills per set.
Also making the first team was defensive specialist Emma Walker. Walker had a team-high 677 digs and had 147 digs – only behind the setter Ella Mihacevich.
If Kentucky defeats Cleveland State, it will take on either Minnasosta or Western Kentucky.
Minnesota
Minnesota is the second highest seed in Lexington and did not need to win its conference to get in.
Minnesota finished the regular season going 20-10 with a Big Ten conference record of 13-7. Just like Kentucky, Minnesota played a really tough schedule. It played 10 ranked games in the regular season, going 2-8 in those ranked games.
The Golden Gophers are led by setter Melani Shaffmaster, who made the All-Big Ten First Team with 1,057 assists this season with 9.27 assists per set.
Up front, Minnesota had two players make the All-Big Ten First Team.
Julia Hanson, who had 445 kills in the regular season, led the team. Joining her on the first team was Lydia Grote, who had 308 kills and a team-high 35 aces.
Minnesota is a popular pick to upset Kentucky and the Cats will have to find a way to slow these stars down to avoid the upset if it wins in round one.
Western Kentucky
If Western Kentucky pulls off the upset, it would be a familiar opponent for Kentucky as the pair have already played this season with Kentucky winning in four sets.
WKU got to the tournament by winning the Conference USA. The Hilltoppers are on a 24-match winning streak, finishing the season with a record of 28-6 and an undefeated 18-0 in conference play.
The Hilltoppers are led by senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox, who has 323 kills with 3.51 kills per set. They are really balanced defensively with five players having over 100 digs.
Kentucky will play at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, against Cleveland State as it starts its road to Louisville.
