Nebraska Volleyball vs. No. 7 Kentucky: Preview, Breakdown

No. 7 Kentucky Scout

Head Coach

Craig Skinner | Entering 21st Season at Kentucky and as Head Coach | 468-155 (.751) Career Record | 2020 NCAA Champion, 21x NCAA Tournament Appearances | 8x SEC Champions | AVCA National Coach OTY (2021), 3x AVCA All-Southeast Region Coach OTY, 7x SEC Coach OTY | Previous head coach at U.S. Junior Women’s National Team | Previous assistant at Nebraska, Ball State (Men’s) and Wisconsin.  

2024 Finish

L, 3-0 to No. 1 Pittsburgh in NCAA Regional Final

2024 Record & Awards

23-8 (14-2 SEC, 1st) | Eighth-Straight SEC Championship | AVCA All-Americans: 1x First Team, 1x Second Team | SEC Player & Coach OTY | All-SEC: 2x First Team, 1x Second Team, 2x Freshman Team. 

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 12-2 (August 27, 2024 last matchup; 3-1 NU) 

Returning Production 

Points: 66% | Kills: 68% | Service Aces: 56% | Blocks: 59% | Assists: 11% | Digs: 57%

Key Returners

• Brooklyn DeLeye | OH | Jr. | AVCA First Team All-American, Region Player of the Year, and SEC Player of the Year in career-best 2024 season
• Jordyn Dailey | MB/RS | R-Soph. | Started 29 matches at middle blocker last year for the Wildcats
• Brooke Bultema | MB | R-Soph. | Named to the All-SEC Freshman Team after posting 281.5 points (third highest on UK) and a team-leading 104 blocks
• Molly Tuozzo | L | Jr. | Earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team after her first season as Kentucky’s starting libero  

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Eva Hudson | OH | Sr. | Three-time AVCA All-American and First Team All-Big Ten honoree; Led the Big Ten with 567 kills and 4.81 per set at Purdue
• Lizzie Carr | MB/RS | R-Jr. | Another transfer from Purdue, Carr averaged 1.52 kills and 0.63 blocks per set in 2024
• Kassie O’Brien | S | Fr. | Will battle Ava Sarafa to take over the role left behind by four-time All-American setter Emma Grome

Key Departures

• Emma Grome | S | Graduated | Four-time AVCA All-American setter and 2023 SEC Player of the Year 
• Megan Wilson | OH | Graduated | Second on the team in both points (306) and blocks (86)
• Eleanor Beavin | L | Graduated | Third on UK with 2.16 digs per set 

Outlook

Kentucky’s breakthrough 2020 National Championship win under head coach and former Nebraska assistant Craig Sinner remains the only Final Four appearance in school history. With eight-straight SEC Championships dating back to 2017, the Wildcats are yearly contenders, and that’s no different entering 2025. 

After getting swept in last season’s regional final, Skinner and the Wildcats became aggressive in NIL and the transfer portal, securing three-time All-American outside hitter Eva Hudson – who alongside her teammate Chloe Chicoine, shocked the college volleyball world when they announced their departure from Purdue after the 2024 season. The 2024 Big Ten leader in kills, Hudson teams up with first team All-American and reigning SEC Player of the Year Brooklyn DeLeye. 

They’re backed by the return of both starting middle blockers from last season in Brooke Bultema and Jordyn Dailey. Bultema earned a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team with 217 kills and a team-high 1.02 blocks per set (104 total) in her redshirt freshman season. Daily was solid in her first playing season, recording 186 kills and 82 blocks across 29 matches. Molly Tuozzo took over the starting libero job as a sophomore last season and she dazzled, racking up 423 digs (3.85 per set) en route to being named All-SEC. 

The most intriguing question for Kentucky is at setter, where the Wildcats have to replace four-time All-American Emma Grome. Redshirt sophomore Ava Sarafa has learned behind Grome for two years, but she’ll be pushed by true freshman Kassie O’Brien, who comes from the prestigious Houston Skyline volleyball club. 

Skinner and the Wildcats have loaded up for 2025 in hopes of reaching their first Final Four since winning the national title five years ago. Hudson’s addition makes UK lethal, but their new setter will likely determine just how high the ceiling is for the Wildcats. I wouldn’t want to match up with this team in December, but for such an early-season game, give me Nebraska to win this in four sets.