Kentucky volleyball tabbed SEC preseason favorite; 4 ‘Cats make All-SEC
For the seventh consecutive offseason, Kentucky volleyball has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Southeastern Conference.
The league office announced on Wednesday that the Wildcats have been picked by the conference’s head coaches to win the SEC. Kentucky received 10 first-place votes while Florida (2) and Tennessee (1) came in with the remaining three votes.
Additionally, four Kentucky players were named to the preseason All-SEC Team, the most of any program: Junior libero Eleanor Beavin, junior setter Emma Grome, senior outside hitter Reagan Rutherford, and fifth-year senior middle blocker Azhani Tealer. No other team received more than two All-SEC Team members.
Across six straight seasons dating back to 2017, head coach Craig Skinner has led Kentucky to either an outright win or a share of the SEC Championship, including the program’s first-ever NCAA championship in 2020. During that span, UK has recorded a combined record of 151-30 (102-8 SEC).
Kentucky is coming off a 2022 season that saw them finish No. 14 in the national rankings after falling to San Diego in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Skinner’s squad posted an overall record of 22-8 (including a 15-3 mark in the SEC) that was good enough to win/share the conference title for the sixth straight season.
The Wildcats will begin its 2023 campaign next month on Aug. 25 when they head west for a road trip to take on Colorado State and Northern Colorado as part of opening weekend. All nine home matches for the ‘Cats will take place at Rupp Arena due to the ongoing renovation of Memorial Coliseum. UK will also host an exhibition match at Rupp on Aug. 17 against Western Kentucky.
Season tickets are available now at UKathletics.com. More matchday information will be available as the season nears its home opener on Sept. 1 vs. Pittsburgh.
2023 SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Kentucky (10)Florida (2)Tennessee (1)GeorgiaArkansasLSUAuburnTexas A&M Ole MissMississippi State South CarolinaMissouriAlabama
2023 SEC Preseason All-SEC Team
Jill Gillen (Arkansas)
Taylor Head (Arkansas)
Akasha Anderson (Auburn)
Alexis Stuckey (Florida)
Kacie Evans (Georgia)
Sophie Fischer (Georgia)
Eleanor Beavin (Kentucky)
Emma Grome (Kentucky)
Reagan Rutherford (Kentucky)
Azhani Tealer (Kentucky)
Anita Anwusi (LSU)
Sanaa Dotson (LSU)
Sasha Ratliff (Ole Miss)
Morgahn Fingall (Tennessee)
Logan Lednicky (Texas A&M)
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