The Kentucky volleyball team faces upstart Cal Poly on Thursday in the regional semifinals of the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. The Mustangs upset BYU and USC to advance to Lexington, where they will face the No. 2 national seed.
UK head coach Craig Skinner knows that Cal Poly is a better team than their seed would lead people to believe.
“I think if the RPI system was a little bit different, and depending on who they played in the nonconference, their RPI would be pretty significantly higher,” Skinner said. “Obviously, the way they play the game and the talent that they have puts them physically in the category of the teams they have already played in the tournament. So instantly, they had our respect by the way they played and the season they put together.”
Junior Brooklyn DeLeye knows that the postseason is an entirely new season for every participating team.
“Everybody has a clean slate coming into the tournament,” DeLeye said. “In that Wofford game, I don’t think we started off as strong as we should have. But having those two matches, going into a game like tomorrow, it truly helped us.”
DeLeye believes that the Mustangs will be playing with house money.
“They’re going to come out with a lot of energy, with nothing to lose, and we’ve kind of been playing those teams in the tournament. I think it’s going to be a great test for this team to see how we respond to that. I think we’re up for it and we’re going to be super excited for tomorrow.”
This is not the first time Kentucky has entered a match this season as a seemingly heavy favorite. Skinner likes how his team has approached matches like this all season long.
“I think this team has done a really good job of, regardless of who the opponent is, that we need to play to a standard that we want to live up to each and every day,” Skinner said. “Cal Poly will certainly bring that out of us.”
As for the Cats, they continue to hone their skills and work on the little things that can push them over the top.
“There’s only so many things you can continue to improve on in practice,” Skinner said. “It’s more about just refining and getting ready.”
The Cats will not overlook Cal Poly, especially after the Mustangs pulled two upsets last weekend. It’s another chance for this UK team to prove that they are able to handle what’s right in front of them.
