This Time Fans get to be Part of UK Final Four Dream

Kentucky players reacted after sweeping Creighton to earn a Final Four berth. (Vicky Graff Photo)

When Kentucky went to its first Final Four during its national championship season in 2020-21, the Cats did not get to play a home tournament game.

That was the COVID-19 year and the NCAA Tournament was held in the “bubble’” in Omaha, Neb., where UK won five  matches in nine days.

However, it was far different this time as UK earned another berth in the Final Four with its sweep of Creighton Saturday in the NCAA Tournament Lexington Region final. Kentucky won four matches in Memorial Coliseum and had 6,122 fans at Saturday’s game.

Coach Craig Skinner said it was a “dream” to have that kind of crowd watching UK play for a Final Four berth.

“It’s hard to convince people by just saying it and talking about it and I just felt like I had to do something that would get the attention to people that don’t pay attention to volleyball,” Skinner said about some of the promotional stunts he did to encourage fans to attend NCAA games. “And so now that they’ve come, they’re hooked, and they’re gonna be hooked for a while.

“it just is an exciting brand of sports and, you know, a rising tide lifts all boats, and the more we can do for the University of Kentucky, and the other teams in this department, it makes us all better. We can’t do that without the help of administration to see the value in volleyball.”

Purdue transfer Eva Hudson only got to play one season at Kentucky but she knew Saturday’s environment was special.

“I mean it was absolutely magical. Every time they (fans) exceed expectations our whole team has for them. There was a time there at the end when I just looked around when it got really chaotic and it was a really cool experience and I just can’t thank them enough for an amazing year,” Hudson said.

Creighton coach Brian Rosen noted that “volleyball has been booming for years” and credited Kathy DeBoer, a former UK coach who served as executive director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association from 2006-2023 after her coaching career ended, for putting “volleyball on her back” and trying to grow it all she could.

“When I was at Nova, she called me to start a beach team once. It’s grown and grown and grown since I started getting into it and starting watching it, and so I love that moments like this are now on ESPN. We got to get the first and second rounds on ESPN too. So I love that it’s on TV more,” Rosen said.

“I know tonight there was a Kentucky men’s basketball game (against Indiana) I heard down the street and still sold this place out tonight, which says a lot about a place that I know at one point was a basketball school. Maybe they’re a volleyball school now. We like to joke that we’re a volleyball school too.

“I think so many fans and communities are seeing how special this sport is. I think it’s the most spectator friendly sport there is. It’s so fast paced, it’s so athletic, it’s physical, it’s gritty, it’s fun. I’m just so grateful that all these fans are getting to see this in person, and people are able to see it at home, and I hope even though it didn’t go the way we wanted, I hope the match was fun for viewers to see, and they come back and watch more next time.”