Ava Sarafa will make her first start at setter for UK against Lipscomb Saturday. (Vicky Graff Photo)
When Kentucky volleyball opens the season Saturday at Lipscomb and then stays in Nashville to play No. 1 Nebraska on Sunday, redshirt sophomore Ava Sarafa will be the starting setter.
Coach Craig Skinner made that announcement Thursday after Sarafa and freshman Kassie O’Brien competed during the preseason to fill the spot vacated by the graduation of three-time All-American Emma Grome.
Skinner said the 6-foot Sarafa, a former Michigan Player of the Year and first team All-American in high school, had a “great camp” to win the job.
“She is playing the best she has since she’s been at Kentucky,” said Skinner. “I am looking forward to seeing her out there and making it happen.”
Skinner said Sarafa “found a connection” with teammates both in the Blue-White scrimmage and Ohio State exhibition match. He liked her movement and competitiveness.
“She can rely on her instincts to help players produce offensively,” Skinner said. “The way she handled pressure was really good.”
Sarafa was the nation’s most outstanding high school setter in 2022 when she won the Andi Collins Award and was named the nation’s most outstanding setter for having over 5,000 assists in her career. She was named the national high school senior player of the year by vballrecruiter.com. Her high school team won three state championships in Michigan’s largest high school division.
She did not play her freshman season in 2023 and played in a serving specialist role last season when she averaged 0.14 aces per set.
Now she’s ready to make her mark on a Kentucky team favored to win the Southeastern Conference title and make a big push for a national championship despite the loss of Grome.
“She has just worked really hard for that role,” Kentucky junior All-American Brooklyn DeLeye said Thursday about Sarafa. “Obviously, the past couple years playing under Emma Grome, she’s learned a lot. I think just going into that starting position, you just saw her vocal skills really come alive.”
DeLeye said Sarafa is “always communicating” with UK’s hitters on what they need to do.
“You can just tell that she’s really in it for us,” DeLeye said.
Junior libero Molly Tuozzo is also excited for Sarafa to have her opportunity to start and play regularly.
“I think she has really grown in her vocal skills, and just like trying to get better every single rep. She doesn’t take a rep off,” Tuozzo said. “Her defense has improved tremendously. She’s digging some balls that I’m like, ‘I don’t know how anyone got that (ball)up.’
“I think that’s a really big piece that’s grown for her. And then, like BK said, she’s trying to get better every single rep.”
