Skinner, Frey Confident that Cats will Rise to Meet Preseason Expectations

Thanks to an impressive freshman class and work in the transfer portal that saw three athletes pack their belongings at their respective schools to head to Lexington, the 2025 iteration of the Kentucky volleyball team has some lofty expectations already just two months out from the start of the season. And while no preseason polls have been announced to this point, the Cats are almost assuredly set to make an appearance in the preseason Top 10, if not the Top 5, by the time the start of the season rolls around. 

While the Cats will have to fill the voids left by two starters in defensive specialist Eleanor Beavin and a former SEC Freshman and eventual Player of the Year at setter in Emma Grome, the newest Wildcats that are set to don the blue and white this season have a slew of talent and accolades already collected throughout their individual careers. Experienced leaders in Eva Hudson, Molly Berezowitz, and Lizzie Carr highlight a talented incoming class that quickly piqued the interest of the volleyball world the minute each of them announced their transfer into Kentucky. 

But while these Cats certainly have high expectations and goals for the season, the coaching staff is confident that they have a competitive group more than capable of rising to the challenge without allowing the outside pressure get to their heads. 

"I know that earning some respect early would make them excited, but our team is so competitive and so motivated to try to get back to a Final Four for the second time that I think that will keep them focused and humble." assistant coach Merideth Frey said. "We have several competitors on our team that I think would whip them right back into shape if we started getting a little too confident."

A large part of that leadership falls on the shoulders of the captain of the ship, and Frey says that Craig Skinner's ability to use those expectations as a motivation tool at key moments throughout the season are a large part of the team's overall success.

"I think Craig (Skinner) is really good about that," Frey said. "We talk about the SEC Championship, we talk about the National Championship but it's not like every day we come in and we're like, 'National Championship! National Championship!' He's really good at inserting it at certain times, whether that's a moment where we've lost three games in a row or a moment where we're on a winning streak."

The Cats will look to their veterans, especially, to help them in that regard this season, specifically their two left sides, Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson, who finished last season ranked 9th and 10th nationally in kills per set. While DeLeye began her career as a more mild-mannered and quiet hitter for the Cats as a freshman, she's quickly become one of the most vocal athletes inside of Kentucky's gym. Pair that with Hudson's competitive fire that drove her to be the Big Ten's leader in kills last year, and the Cats will have one of the best outside combinations in the country this season, both in terms of on-court production and leadership ability. 

While the incoming talent that Skinner has brought in has also brought with it a long list of expectations, it appears that this coach staff and this team are ready, and excited, to meet those challenges. 

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