Eva Hudson is taking her emotional play to the professional level in January. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Eva Hudson’s volleyball collegiate volleyball career might be over but she’s not going to have a long break before starting her professional career.
Hudson earned Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors and was one of four finalists for national player of the year in her one season at UK after transferring from Purdue. She helped UK win 30 matches and reach the national title game before losing to Texas A&M.
Hudson has signed with League One Volleyball (LOVB) Atlanta. The team will start its second season Jan. 11 on ESPN 2 against LOVB Austin. The team’s season will last through April.
Hudson had a team-best 546 kills last season and finished her collegiate career with over 2,000 kills.
While many former collegiate volleyball players go overseas to play — former UK All-American setter Emma Grome is having a brilliant rookie season in Germany — but Hudson opted to sign with LOVB which was founded in 2020 as a youth volleyball club network in the United States with the headquarters in Los Angeles.
The six-team league includes Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Nebraska, Salt Lake and Madison. Future teams hopefully will include Los Angeles, Minnesota and San Francisco. LOVB has a broadcast deal with ESPN that gives the league exposure that obviously appealed to Hudson.
Bultema picks Louisville
Brooke Bultema, a preseason all-SEC pick at Kentucky going into last season, will play for Louisville next season.
The redshirt sophomore has two seasons of eligibility remaining and the 6-foot-3 middle blocker can be a very productive player. The middle blocker redshirted in 2023, played in 105 sets in 2024 and then played in only 57 sets in 2025 when Lizzie Carr and Kennedy Washington — who both will be on UK’s 2026 roster — moved ahead of her.
Bultema averaged 2.07 kills per game in 2024 — she had a career high 15 kills against Tennessee — and led the team in blocks with 1.02 per set.
Last season her kills dropped to 92 but she did have 11 kills on 25 attacks and eight blocks in a comeback win over Louisville that obviously made an impression on the Louisville coaching staff.
