By Larry Vaught

Kentucky volleyball will have “lot of great pieces” again next year

Posted: December 12, 2021
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Coach Craig Skinner has won five straight SEC titles at Kentucky and believes he will have another strong cast of players next season. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Kentucky volleyball’s defense of the national championship it won in April ended sooner than many expected when the Wildcats lost 3-1 to Illinois in the second round. However, coach Craig Skinner is not worried about the program’s future despite losing All-American Alli Stumler off this team.

“There’s a lot of great pieces. When you look at the starting lineup and it’s freshman, sophomore, sophomore, freshman, junior in your starting group, it speaks highly of their future,” Skinner said.

“Now it’s: Can we duplicate what senior leadership does? Can we duplicate what they’ve provided to this program? What a great group to learn from going forward in that area. There’s a great group returning, one coming in so far, and possibly others, to help us go to the next level.”

Kentucky finished 25-5 this season and seniors Lauren Tharp, Cameron Scheitzach and Stumler — who do have the option to return for a fifth year — won 100 matches, four SEC championships and a national championship the last four seasons.

Stumler said after the loss that there were no words to describe what UK volleyball has meant to her. She still remembers being on campus in high school when she made her decision to commit to UK.

“I had no idea it would end like this and be like this. Competing for national championships, winning SECs four times in my career, and never did I dream of playing with girls like (freshman setter) Emma [Grome] and the crew that we have here, and just playing for the staff,” Stumler said.

” It has been an unbelievable ride and really stinking fun. It makes it a lot better when you have cool people and just people who really care, really care about others, and really care about the sport. Nothing I could have dreamed of. It couldn’t have gone any better, despite what happened tonight. I couldn’t have asked for it to be any better.”