Coaches Pick UK to Win Another SEC Volleyball Title

Vicky Graff Photo

Kentucky volleyball looks to have an incredibly deep and talented roster for the 2025 season and obviously Southeastern Conference coaches agree.

Coach Craig Skinner’s team has won or shared the last eight SEC volleyball titles and league coaches have picked UK to win the league title again this year.

It certainly helps that four UK players — Brooke Bultema, Brooklyn DeLeye, Eva Hudson and Molly Tuozzo — all were named to the All-SEC Preseason Team. That was more players than any other team had chosen and DeLeye figures to be in the running for national player of the year honors.

Kentucky received nine of the 16 first-place votes with Texas, the second choice, getting six first-place votes and Texas A&M one. Texas A&M, Missouri and Florida rounded out the top five in the team voting by league coaches.

DeLeye, a junior, was the 2024 SEC Player of the Year in 2024 and could become the second player at Kentucky to win SEC Player of the Year twice. Leah Edmond was SEC MVP in 2018 and 2019 in her final two years at UK.

Kentucky again has a loaded schedule. The Cats open play Aug. 30 at Lipscomb in Nashville before playing in the first-ever Broadway Block Party at Bridgestone Arena against Nebraska at Noon ET on ABC. The home season for UK opens Sept. 13 against SMU as part of a four-team event with UK, SMU, Houston and Purdue.

SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1 Kentucky (9)
2 Texas (6)
3 Texas A&M (1)
4 Missouri
5 Florida
6 Tennessee
7 Oklahoma
8 LSU
9 Georgia
10 Ole Miss
11 Arkansas
12 Vanderbilt
13 Auburn
14 South Carolina
15 Mississippi State
16 Alabama

Preseason All-SEC Team

Jaela Auguste (MB, Florida)
Brooke Bultema (MB, Kentucky)
Brooklyn DeLeye (OH, Kentucky)
Eva Hudson (OH, Kentucky)
Molly Tuozzo (L, Kentucky)
Jurnee Robinson (OH, LSU)
Nia Washington (OH, LSU)
Mokihana Tufono (S, Ole Miss)
Maya Sands (L, Mizzou)
Alexis Shelton (OH, Oklahoma)
Caroline Kerr (S, Tennessee)
Emma Halter (L, Texas)
Torrey Stafford (OH, Texas)
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (MB, Texas A&M)
Logan Lednicky (OPP, Texas A&M)