Amaya Tillman was always seeing UK fans in Louisville when she was playing for the Cardinals. (Vicky Graff Photo)
What is like to be on both sides of the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry?
New Kentucky volleyball assistant coach Amaya Tillman is about to find out as others have over the years.
Tillman was an All-American at Louisville and helped the Cardinals reach the 2020 volleyball national championship game her senior season. Now she’s part of Craig Skinner’s staff at UK.
So what was the UK-Louisville rivalry like when she was playing for Louisville?
“It was huge, for sure,” said Tillman. “Just like any in-state rivalry, it’s definitely competitive, and everyone’s very passionate about it. Honestly, I would see Kentucky fans all the time when I was in Louisville as a student-athlete. I think that’s really cool.
“I feel like UK has such a big fan base. I would see Kentucky shirts and everything. So definitely a big rivalry and something as a player and just now as a former player something that I really respect.”
Respect, especially among fan bases, is not a word always used with the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry.
“It’s never been a super caddy rivalry. We’ve never had that kind of drama that I think maybe there is in other sports or other programs,” the UK assistant coach said. “So again, we do have that mutual respect, and I think that’s something that makes it so special.
“Why I chose to come here to coach is because not many programs and staffs hold each other to such a high standard to have that great culture. So that’s something really special that I like about Kentucky.”
