Vicky Graff Photo
Want to know why Craig Skinner is so much fun to play for?
He announced Monday he wanted fans to wear all blue Sunday when No. 2 Kentucky volleyball hosts rival Tennessee.
But he’s putting his money where his mouth is much like Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope did last year when he bought ice cream for fans at Rupp Arena when he couldn’t stay to sign autographs after his postgame radio show.
“We don’t just need to pack Memorial (Coliseum), we need to sell the thing out on Sunday. Watch on Thursday night (when UK plays at Missouri), sell it out Sunday. I’m buying the first 500 blue shirts for Sunday’s match to get people in the stands to make it a blue out.”
Skinner’s team is coming off a sweep of Texas and leads the Southeastern Conference again at 11-0 as it pursues at least a share of a ninth straight SEC title. With four matches left, UK is the league’s only unbeaten team. Texas A&M has one loss and Texas two. Kentucky is 18-2 overall and has won 15 straight matches going into Thursday’s match at Missouri.
Kentucky’s match with Tennessee had already been elevated from the SEC Network to ESPN2 and then ESPN before the win at Texas.
Skinner held his press conference Monday before UK football coach Mark Stoops had his weekly press conference. However, rather than sit where Stoops normally does, Skinner stood on the press room table to address media members with his passionate plea for deserved fan support.
“We have four matches left in the regular season of the SEC: on the road at Missouri on Thursday night, tough match, tough place to play. Tennessee on Sunday, then two more next weekend. We need everybody in the Big Blue Nation to get behind this team,” the UK coach said.
“This team is everything that Kentuckians are all about: blue collar, hard work, sacrifice. Their fiber is all about what you guys are.”
Preach it because he’s right.
Eva Hudson was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week and Kassie O’Brien the SEC Setter of the Week for their play in sweeps over Vanderbilt and Texas last week.
