Final Thoughts on this year's Volleyball Season and Kentucky's National Championship

First, my disclaimer. If I say something, it doesn't mean much. The little bit of volleyball experience I've had is nowhere near the level where Kentucky competes, and it's weak sauce to even imagine being associated with volleyball at that high level. So just one person's thoughts here. Now to the comments.

Initially, this could have been the greatest NCAA volleyball tournament in the history of college volleyball. The level of play from all top teams was through the roof good. I attribute much of it to a lengthier season--they didn't overplay too many matches and get worn down, but the season began in September, and concluded in April. It was more like an international training effort. I think that raised the level of play of all teams, and Kentucky was the best of the best. This was probably the most impressive title in college history.

A few comments on how the tournament was run/hosted/broadcast. As usual, the NCAA tried to screw it up, but it actually worked out ok. From reading around, most of the players loved the tournament being hosted at one site. It was a good move considering Covid precautions, but something similar to it should be considered in the future. Volleyball tournaments traditionally are sort of like that anyway at the club level. You have a tournament hosted in one city (or outlying cities), and a few venues hosting. Doesn't have to be in some big convention center, but bringing them together worked. So I figure the NCAA will abandon it next year.

I saw this mentioned elsewhere, but ESPN really needs to match the score up per team with the side of the net they're playing on. It's a small thing, but it affects enjoyment, especially if you're not watching "your" team play and have to think about it a bit.

The announcing was terrible. I started to say that at least we got announcers after the initial idiotic decision to stream without announcing, but we didn't get much of an upgrade. I could forgive it on the early broadcasts rounds, but by the final four, they should have been rock solid. They weren't. Didn't affect my enjoyment much, as the play on the court was easily worth the enjoyment factor without them, so they were a minor annoyance to me--but they should've added to the enjoyment, not detracted. I wouldn't even mind if they shut up for 2 or 3 points in a row, and then did color commentary on what happened. It's not radio. We can see. And the pseudo (or real) excitement for a team is annoying, too.

Now for Kentucky in particular.

I had doubts we would get that far. My major concern was the conference-only schedule we played. We had never made the Final Four before, and with Florida really the only test--a team we split with, after all--I was concerned that we may not stack up against a tough West coast team, or midwestern or B10 team. So happy that Kentucky took my doubts and smashed them with a sledgehammer. During the tournament, I thought we were going to lose to Washington. I thought they had us out of system and we simply aren't nearly the level out of system as we are in system. Funny thing--Texas put us out of system even more, and we handled that very easily (after the first set). We got used to them setting on the left side and defensively mastered it. Kudos to Craig Skinner for that (along with the players).

We've gone back and forth and talked about this player and that player being the key, from Alli Stumler to Gabby Curry, to one of the Skinners, and on occasion Tealer. But time and time again it is Madison Lilley, the all-world setter that was the straw that stirred the drink. I was looking at some action photos of her tonight from the tournament, and it is amazing how she has incredible balance, timing, and strength as she makes sets while leaping off the floor. Who does that besides her? Nobody at her level. To lead BOTH teams in both offense (53 assists) and defense (19 digs) just shows how versatile she really is and how athletic. I keep going back to a 45-second interview video Larry Vaught did with Lilley her sophomore year--when she had played a near perfect game, she said that Craig Skinner would be on her about her defense, and would always find places to improve. So what did she do in the championship game? Set a career high mark for defense with 19 digs. That's the mark of a champion.

HOWEVER....having said that, after finally having seen the final, man, you guys were dead right about Alli Stumler in the championship match. The stats show she had a great, great game, but unless you saw it in person, you really couldn't appreciate just how good it is firing shots over and through 6'3, 6'4 blockers like she did time and time again, with 26 kills and only 2 errors. Wow, was she good and then some. She struggled against Florida in our loss this year, seemed to lose a confidence, and then WHAM! Got it right back.

And Gabby Curry. Cheated out of being on the all-tournament team, and that's honestly the only way I can couch it. She was clearly one of the 3 or 4 best players in the tournament in the Final Four, and I've certainly heard good arguments for her as even MOP. Her 13 assists were a huge key to Kentucky winning (including the game-winning assist to Stumler, of course). I was super-pleased to see VolleyballMag.com release their top 4 All-American teams yesterday, and Gabby Curry was 1st Team All-American, the only libero on the 14 player squad. Well-deserved.

Coach Skinner and the team. Here's where you ignore an old man and his little volleyball coaching experience, but man, did he have Kentucky operating at the right mix of enthusiasm and poise. You see teams look like they are scared to death, and others that celebrate like every point is the national title. UK is something in between. And in play stoppages, you see them out their doing their little dance number, staying loose. A wise man once told me when I coached my first girls team that boys have to win to have fun, and girls have to have fun to win. Coaching girls--even young women--is just different than coaching young men. My little middle school team wasn't that great, but we got better all season, and as a very low seed, upset the # 2 seed and went to the championship one of the two years I coached them. Everybody thought we were crazy, as my girls were dancing between sets, while the other team was being "coached." Well, Craig Skinner is a lot better than I ever was, and did it at a higher level. They were truly fun to watch and enjoy.

Kentucky's future. Haven't seen all of the seniors say it, but I assume all seniors are gone. Lilley said she was moving on, and Curry probably said it, too. Avery Skinner had a fantastic year, and every day she wasn't playing or practicing since September, her foot was in a boot, playing on a stress fracture that apparently could not heal. I assume she's going out on a high note, too. Kendyl Paris played little, and my guess is she'll depart a title winner as well.

Next year we'll have some new faces and possibly some rebuilding. But some good pieces, with the # 1 recruiting class in the country this year, and I bet we do ok next year's class, too.

Alli Stumler will be a senior, and poised for one of the best seasons in college history if she picks up where she left off.
Kentucky's defensive back row ought to remain good, despite losing Curry--we return three true Liberos, including Riah Walker, who will be a sophomore next year and played defensive specialist this season in the regular rotation, Lauren Tharp, a senior from Louisville, and Maddie Berezowitz, from Wisconsin, who will be a Junior next year. Kentucky is "Libero U." and I fully anticipate that we will have someone step up and fill that role perfectly regardless of who it is.

Azhani Tealer will be a junior, and Madi Skinner will be a sophomore. Elise Goetzinger played a little less than the "regulars," but she will be a force at 6'4 at MB too.

So I think our defense and hitting will be good.

As to the Setter....I just don't know. Cameron Scheitzach was our backup setter this year, a Junior from Orlando who will be a Senior next year. I think she's good, but I don't know that she's the level we need to be title competitive. She's a little shorter, at 5'9 (Lilley is 5'11) and not as athletic. It means that she probably won't be used as a pseudo-blocker, she won't have timely kills that Lilley had, and for those of us who had gotten used to seeing Lilly save "overpasses" time and time again by leaping up and setting it back as it was headed over the net, those days are probably gone. But there may be somebody else coming in, I dunno. And there's more than one way to play the Setter position, and more than one way to run an offense, and even more than one way to put Setters on the court.

We currently are set to return these players in these years (counting this year). If I have their recruiting ranking handy from PrepVolleyball, it's in parenthesis. Some of the others made high school All-American (could be like 2nd or 3rd team, but even without a number, don't assume they aren't top notch. Our players are terrific).

(Side note--you'll see top 10 players who played very little this year, and top 50 players who played a lot--usually with experience. It really matters in volleyball IMO).

Bella Bell, 6'3 MB, RS So (# 51 recruit)
Elise Goetzinger, 6'4 MB, SO (# 27 recruit)
Azhani Tealer, 5'10 MB, JR (# 21 recruit)

Maddie Berezowitz, 5'6 L, JR
Lauren Tharp, 5'6 L, SR
Riah Walker, 5'10 L, SO (two-time high school AA. My favorite stat for her is that she once had 67 digs in a single match in high school. You read that right).

Sophie Fischer, 6'5 OH, SO (# 15 recruit in nation)
Madi Skinner, 6'2 OH, SO (# 2 recruit in nation)
Alli Stumler, 6'1 OH, SR (# 38 recruit in nation out of HS--may be top 5 as a Senior)

Reagan Rutherford, 6'0 Opp, SO (# 10 recruit in nation)

Cameron Scheitzach, 5'9 S, SR

In November, we signed Emma Grome (Setter - # 25 in country, from Ohio, heir apparent to Madison Lilley?), Erin Lamb (OH, # 32 in country from Minnesota) and Jordyn Williams (MB, # 8 in country, from Texas)--the # 3 recruiting class in the country. We then added Libero Eleanor Beavin in December, from Louisville.

All 4 are Under Armour All-Americans.

Craig Skinner ain't slowing down. We may not successfully defend our title, but we're going to be in the hunt for a long time with him here.

By the way--I have read around at some other coaches heavily hitting the transfer portal for recruiting.
a) I haven't heard of any UK player transferring out, although that's certainly possible. We don't have a super-large roster, though, and everybody should be "sorta" happy with a title, although PT can be an issue.
b) I hope we keep everyone and don't hit the transfer portal. I heard a really stud player from Minnesota is in the portal, and some other really good players. But I think that in volleyball, you need that continuity if at all possible. Now, if there's a Lilley, or a Stumler, or a Curry that you could pick up and plug a hole, sure, I guess. But overall, give me a top 20-50 player and have them develop for 2 years and then start becoming Alli Stumler this season.

I like our team. I love our program.