Inside the Coaches' Room: Eva Hudson's Next Steps for Growth

As one of Kentucky's newest faces headed to Lexington this fall, Cats fans may not be all that familiar with incoming Purdue transfer Eva Hudson. And with her playing in a Big Ten conference that's packed full of talent, it might have been easy for the casual fan to not fully understand the magnitude of her announcement to play for the Wildcats following the completion of last season. So in this edition of 'Inside the Coaches' Room', allow me to introduce you to Eva Hudson, Kentucky's newest cannon on the outside and the second weapon of the Cats' next one-two punch. 

Hailing from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Hudson joined Purdue as a freshman in 2022 ranked the No. 25 recruit in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com. Following an outstanding freshman campaign for the Boilermakers, Hudson was awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a spot on First Team All-Big Ten. Since she stepped foot into the college volleyball landscape, Hudson has never finished below First Team All-Big Ten, having been awarded the honor three times in her career. She led the Big Ten in both total kills (567) and kills per set (4.81) this past season and ranked 10th nationally in kills per set numbers. Hudson is widely regarded as one of the best arms in the game, something that was on full display in the Boilermakers' win over 10th-ranked Kentucky last season. Hudson found the floor with a match-high 20 kills in that four set victory over the Cats and hit an impressive .304 on the afternoon. 

So, with one of the biggest arms in the game joining forces with Craig Skinner and company this season, what is the staff looking for out of the senior en route to another SEC Title and National Championship? For Hudson, a lot of it starts with expanding her offensive toolbox. 

"For her it's a lot about teaching her some of the toolbox things that I think Brooklyn (DeLeye) has: the rebound tool, the recycle tool," assistant coach Merideth Frey said. "She really has a great power tip or throw sort of shot, she has a great terminal arm, but what other shots can we have to get the ball back on our side and keep possession? And I think that's something that's very new to her."

Frey is referencing one of the new offensive identities that Kentucky has adopted over the last several years in which hitters will take imperfect sets and intentionally tip or throw balls into the block to recover them and recycle the point in hopes that they can get a better set in the flow of the offense. DeLeye, especially, has nearly perfected this technique on the left, often using the block purposefully on broken plays to restart the point and give her setter an opportunity to set a better ball. But this is a tricky skill to learn, mainly because if done incorrectly it can quickly lead to an easy stuff block for the other team. For Hudson, it's all about her ability to stay engaged without getting too frustrated at herself as she works through such a new skill in her final year of eligibility. 

As if that isn't enough of a challenge, Hudson is also adjusting to the faster speed of Kentucky's offense, a big change from the high balls she was used to being set at Purdue.

"I know that throughout the Spring she was a little bit frustrated (with herself) like, 'Hey this is a lot faster. I'm just having a hard time adjusting.' Everything was much higher at the places she was before so it's definitely an adjustment for her and trying to be on time. And then also just trying to create the same tempo and have two different setters flip back and forth all Spring too I'm sure didn't help. So I think creating some consistency with the setter decision will help and I think eventually if we need to run her's just a little bit higher I think that's okay too."

While a lot of those timing and tempo issues will resolve over time, Hudson also has the added benefit of having enough athleticism to make any ball, regardless of if the timing is off or not, look good. That will almost assuredly come in handy for the Cats this year, especially in the early part of the season when Kentucky takes on some of the heavy hitters on their schedule. 

As far as comparisons go, the duo of Brooklyn and Eva is extremely reminiscent to that of Leah Edmond and Alli Stumler when they played for the Cats several years ago, with Brooklyn taking on more of the finesse/toolkit role that Stumler showcased and Hudson filling the fiery/power role of Edmond. Part of the reason that duo worked so well for Skinner was because of Edmond's and Stumler's commitment to playing off of and learning from one another: Stumler mixed power in with her finesse to keep defenses off balance and Edmond made intentional strides with the placement of her swings to score points. This relationship is one that Frey says could look very familiar to that famous duo of old. 

"I definitely think that's a really good comparison. I think demeanor and attitude wise that's a very good comparison too. I think Eva (Hudson) is a little bit more fiery and Brooklyn can be that way but again BK (Brooklyn) is better at the finesse piece and better at the rebounds and touches and being creative. And that's something we're tying to teach Eva. I think it'll come along, it's just very different from what she's used to. But obviously having a terminal arm is a really easy thing to work with."

With Hudson's power on the left, Kentucky shouldn't have a lot of problems scoring this year. However, what will determine whether or not the Cats can realistically contend for a championship may fall on how quickly Hudson can adjust to the speed of Kentucky's offense as well as her ability to pick up some of the different offensive tools the staff wants her to utilize. And with Hudson's competitive spirit, I'd be willing to bet the senior figures it out sooner rather than later. And if that proves to be true, the SEC - and the entire country for that matter - better watch out.