A late-night battle worth watching: UK vs. WKU in NCAA Volleyball Tournament
There will be at least one team from the commonwealth that advances to the regional finals of the bottom-right bracket of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Sunday.
But who will it be?
Kentucky or Western Kentucky?
Two of the state’s volleyball powers square off late Sunday night in a Sweet 16 match at the CHI Health Convention Center in Omaha, Neb., in hopes of advancing to the regional finals. The match is scheduled to start at 10 o’clock EDT and will be televised by ESPN2.
No. 11 seed Louisville will also play for a spot in the regional finals. The Cardinals take on No. 6 seed Washington at 3:30 p.m. But as for the state of Kentucky, all (sleepy) eyes will be on the UK-WKU matchup.
No. 2 seed Kentucky won its opening match of the 48-team tournament by sweeping UNLV 3-0 on Thursday. Western Kentucky swept Jackson State 3-0 in the first round Wednesday, then upset No. 15 seed Washington State in a thrilling five-set match Thursday to earn the right to play the Wildcats on Sunday.
Coached by Craig Skinner, Kentucky is 20-1. Coached by Skinner’s friend Travis Hudson, the Hilltoppers are 23-0. The two programs know each other well, even playing exhibition matches in recent years.
“We’ve been friends for a long time. We share a lot, talk a lot of volleyball, just a mutual respect for each other and each other’s programs,” Skinner said Saturday. “We’ve been on the phone numerous times over the years talking volleyball and strategy. We know each other’s programs well. They know our program and how we do things and we know theirs.”
The two programs have an NCAA history, as well. In the 2017 tournament, the No. 4 seed Cats rallied from two sets down to defeat the Hilltoppers 3-2 with a 15-12 score in the final set of an epic second-round match in Memorial Coliseum.
“I definitely remember playing in that match,” Skinner said Saturday. “That was exciting, big crowd, lot of expectations. It was a fun match to play in. What a battle. Like I told Travis out of that match, it really sucked that someone had to lose.”
UK’s current seniors were freshmen back then.
“I think the biggest factor our seniors take from that is the respect factor, what we have for Western and how they play the game,” Skinner said. “That’s something we’ll need to pull on from them to understand what we’re up against.”
Sophomore Paige Briggs and junior Lauren Matthews lead the Toppers’ stats, but “they do a really good job of balancing the net,” Skinner said.
The grandfather of WKU junior Katie Isenbarger lived across the street from Skinner’s best friend growing up in Muncie, Ind. “So we would play basketball in Phil Isenbarger’s driveway,” Skinner said. “That’s kind of a cool story for me to reminisce about the past.”
It will be all about the present come Sunday night. Make that late Sunday night.
“I think we’ll all be out of our comfort zone playing at 10 p.m.,” Skinner said. “Fans might be out of their comfort zone staying up that late, and some new to volleyball.”
Originally, ESPN was not going to broadcast regional matches from Omaha on its main platforms. The fact that the World Wide Leader chose to pick up the UK-WKU match is a boost for both sides.
“It’s awesome,” Skinner said. “I think our sport is an exciting sport to watch. You see the athleticism, the explosiveness. The downside to our sport is not very many people understand the nuances of volleyball, and what’s happening, the rotations and siding out. So the more opportunities people see it, they get more comfortable trying to explain the game to somebody else. So for us to be on a national stage helps in that area.”
Sunday
No. 2 seed Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky
When: 10 p.m. EDT
Where: Omaha, Neb.
TV: ESPN2
Records: UK 20-1, WKU 23-0
Series: UK leads 14-4
Last meeting: UK won 3-2 on Dec. 2, 2017, in an NCAA Tournament second-round match in Memorial Coliseum
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