Postgame Quotes - Kentucky 3, UCLA 1
POSTGAME QUOTES
Kentucky 3, UCLA 1
Lexington, Ky. (Historic Memorial Coliseum)
December 5, 2025
Kentucky Head Coach Craig Skinner
Opening statement
“I think we got a real good picture of what UCLA is tonight. Their high end is pretty ridiculous, so for us to weather the storms in the first set and pull that out and then added pressure after losing the third set, a tight one, I give these two (Hudson and DeLaye) a lot of credit for carrying the offensive load and bailing us out of some situations, which was huge. And Kassie [O'Brien] was giving them hittable balls and our secondary setters also were a huge part of that match. We had 77 kills and 63 digs, and we needed every single one of them so, happy to be moving on.”
On the offensive rhythm and balance of the team…
“To be honest, I’ll give some credit to UCLA for that because they were serving some bullets at these guys and it wasn’t that the passes were bad. [The serves] created tough rhythm because some of them were low, some of them were high, some of them were off, and so it was really hard to get offensive rhythm with a quick attack. I think Kassie [O'Brien] did a good job when she had her opportunities, but also, we needed to rely on [DeLeye and Hudson] to get some big time kills for us even though they knew there were going to be four hands in their face.”
On how the team responds to high pressure moments…
“I think experience is very helpful in these situations, and I think I’ve said it before, there’s match pressure, there’s first and second round pressure, there’s regional pressure, and if you’ve never been in it before, you don’t really know what it feels like. So, when you do get to 25-25, 26-26, there’s really nothing else you can do but be prepared for the next whistle. You can’t get caught up in how we did three previous points or what might happen if we win this set and those guys do a really good job and I think that you see our team play with a lot of enthusiasm and joy in those moments and you credit them for embracing the opportunity to play in a pressure match like that.”
On feeding off of the crowd during the match…
“I did hear them quite a bit. 'Go Big Blue' chants were very prevalent tonight at key moments and it was very hard to hear at times. It was awesome to hear them get behind us when we needed the lift and even at the beginning of the fourth set, they were into it. I’m sure some of them were like “Oh I’m going to get home, put my feet up and watch TV”, and that’s the beauty of volleyball, you never know until it’s over, but they got behind us, and it gives you goosebumps when you hear those chants going on.”
Kentucky outside hitter Eva Hudson
On combining with Brooklyn DeLeye for 16 of the team's 19 kills in the fourth set...
“We like to call it a flow state. It feels like everything you do just goes right, and, when you see the other one going off, it's like, 'Oh, well, that seems fun'. So that's kind of my mentality. Also, our back row has really consistently been giving us shots, calling them out. So, when I can't see the block, I just trust them. And most of the time it works out.”
On the team's offensive performance...
“It just shows the versatility of this team. Every player is coming in ready to play. We have such a deep bench so you have to be ready for every situation. Something a good team has to do is be able to adapt to each opponent.”
On the team's mentality in the final stages of sets...
"Pressure makes diamonds. You just unlock a different mentality and you can see it in every player's eyes. What's so special about this team is that they don't get small in big moments. It's like we almost shine brighter. So, it really just gives us more confidence. We've been in so many fifth sets and have been down so many points. Even like the Texas game, we just knew we've been in these situations before so we can be successful.”
Kentucky outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye
On bouncing back after tipping at the end of the third set...
“That was just a mistake on my part, and I knew I let my team down at that moment. So, I just knew that going into that fourth set, we were just not going to lose that one.”
On her relationship with Eva Hudson...
“I think it was kind of just natural; we clicked right away. It's just been really fun to have someone like Eva in the gym every single day to push me. And I think it just helps us on the court as well, because even tonight, like she was talking about, she was getting kills like crazy, and then I just wanted to do my part to help her out. So, it's really hard across the net when you have almost every hitter on our side that's pretty unstoppable. So I think it's just a testament to how hard we work.”
On recovering from a slow start in the first set...
"I think we knew they were going to pounce from the very beginning, and I don't think we came out from the very first point. So I think we just knew that we had to respond and fight back, because they weren't going down without a fight.”
UCLA Head Coach Alfee Reft
On his feelings after the match...
“I'm proud of our team for the match we played tonight, certainly for the run we had in this tournament. Kentucky--hats off to them. They are the real deal. They're a good team. But I told our team in the locker I’m proud of how we went about our process in this tournament. And I extremely proud of each player on this team and what they built this year. I'm proud of [Lola Schumacher and Kate Duffey] sitting with me and what they mean to the movement of this program, what they will mean to the movement of this program within the next two years. We don't feel great about the loss, but we were proud of what we were building in the process that we're having so.”
On the team's attitude after a tight first set...
“I think we primed in and prefaced this match, knowing what's going to be one run every set. It's going to come down a one run. We expected that, knowing their grade. It hurt, but we weren't surprised. It was just a quick reset, and it's like, 'okay, what are the changes we need to make'? I thought their outsides starting to get pretty hot, and those outsides are pretty impressive. We were more problem solving and making sure we just make the adjustments tactically that we need to make. The team was incredibly focused--no rattle--and just very mission-oriented and ready to move into the next set. So, I'm really proud of their composure and their voice through tight sets, through getting blown out, and then coming back in the third set, I think it was a testament to the maturity of his team through the year.”
On Eva Hudson and Brooklyn DeLeye’s impact on the game...
"I think, physically, they're playing on a different level. Regardless of where alignments were, I thought they were just playing at a height that you couldn't touch and block. And then their vision and their tool kit, their ability to hit every angle record, is pretty impressive. We certainly scouted for that and seeing it in person was a little bit different. So kudos to them and to Craig for the work he's done with them. I’ve seen both of their college careers, and I think they're playing the best volleyball they’ve played. They're getting better. We haven't seen a lot of outsides that can do that to us.”
UCLA sophomore setter Kate Duffey
On feelings after first set…
“I think it’s hard to lose like that after fighting for so long, but I’m proud of the way we fought. We had it together and we were confident about the way we moved forward.”
On building momentum after a tough second set…
“I think the second set definitely just started to slip away from us and that pissed us off. We came back in the third set with a little bit of fire, which I think fueled us a little bit into that third set. It was a win or go home set for us so we were definitely playing with that on the line.”
UCLA sophomore libero Lola Schumacher
On feelings after first set…
“We knew it was going to be a battle tonight and we knew it was going to go point for point, dig for dig, set for set, and kill for kill. They fought and we fought for those sets, and like they coach said, it’s not great to lose, but I think our energy and momentum into the second set was great.”
On tonight's environment…
“When we come into these games, it’s tunnel vision. We have our blinders on and we’re going to do what we do and they’re going to do what they do, but we really focus on not letting outside noise and talk really affect us. We really just hone in on what we want to do, what we do well, and doing that on the court.”
On preparation for tonight’s game…
“I would say trusting our training helps. Credit to the coaches, we will never play a game that’s harder than any one of our practices. Credit to them for putting us into those situations because we’re prepared every single time we step on the court. And credit to the Big Ten because every team you play in the Big Ten is a battle.”
Kentucky 3, UCLA 1
Lexington, Ky. (Historic Memorial Coliseum)
December 5, 2025
Kentucky Head Coach Craig Skinner
Opening statement
“I think we got a real good picture of what UCLA is tonight. Their high end is pretty ridiculous, so for us to weather the storms in the first set and pull that out and then added pressure after losing the third set, a tight one, I give these two (Hudson and DeLaye) a lot of credit for carrying the offensive load and bailing us out of some situations, which was huge. And Kassie [O'Brien] was giving them hittable balls and our secondary setters also were a huge part of that match. We had 77 kills and 63 digs, and we needed every single one of them so, happy to be moving on.”
On the offensive rhythm and balance of the team…
“To be honest, I’ll give some credit to UCLA for that because they were serving some bullets at these guys and it wasn’t that the passes were bad. [The serves] created tough rhythm because some of them were low, some of them were high, some of them were off, and so it was really hard to get offensive rhythm with a quick attack. I think Kassie [O'Brien] did a good job when she had her opportunities, but also, we needed to rely on [DeLeye and Hudson] to get some big time kills for us even though they knew there were going to be four hands in their face.”
On how the team responds to high pressure moments…
“I think experience is very helpful in these situations, and I think I’ve said it before, there’s match pressure, there’s first and second round pressure, there’s regional pressure, and if you’ve never been in it before, you don’t really know what it feels like. So, when you do get to 25-25, 26-26, there’s really nothing else you can do but be prepared for the next whistle. You can’t get caught up in how we did three previous points or what might happen if we win this set and those guys do a really good job and I think that you see our team play with a lot of enthusiasm and joy in those moments and you credit them for embracing the opportunity to play in a pressure match like that.”
On feeding off of the crowd during the match…
“I did hear them quite a bit. 'Go Big Blue' chants were very prevalent tonight at key moments and it was very hard to hear at times. It was awesome to hear them get behind us when we needed the lift and even at the beginning of the fourth set, they were into it. I’m sure some of them were like “Oh I’m going to get home, put my feet up and watch TV”, and that’s the beauty of volleyball, you never know until it’s over, but they got behind us, and it gives you goosebumps when you hear those chants going on.”
Kentucky outside hitter Eva Hudson
On combining with Brooklyn DeLeye for 16 of the team's 19 kills in the fourth set...
“We like to call it a flow state. It feels like everything you do just goes right, and, when you see the other one going off, it's like, 'Oh, well, that seems fun'. So that's kind of my mentality. Also, our back row has really consistently been giving us shots, calling them out. So, when I can't see the block, I just trust them. And most of the time it works out.”
On the team's offensive performance...
“It just shows the versatility of this team. Every player is coming in ready to play. We have such a deep bench so you have to be ready for every situation. Something a good team has to do is be able to adapt to each opponent.”
On the team's mentality in the final stages of sets...
"Pressure makes diamonds. You just unlock a different mentality and you can see it in every player's eyes. What's so special about this team is that they don't get small in big moments. It's like we almost shine brighter. So, it really just gives us more confidence. We've been in so many fifth sets and have been down so many points. Even like the Texas game, we just knew we've been in these situations before so we can be successful.”
Kentucky outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye
On bouncing back after tipping at the end of the third set...
“That was just a mistake on my part, and I knew I let my team down at that moment. So, I just knew that going into that fourth set, we were just not going to lose that one.”
On her relationship with Eva Hudson...
“I think it was kind of just natural; we clicked right away. It's just been really fun to have someone like Eva in the gym every single day to push me. And I think it just helps us on the court as well, because even tonight, like she was talking about, she was getting kills like crazy, and then I just wanted to do my part to help her out. So, it's really hard across the net when you have almost every hitter on our side that's pretty unstoppable. So I think it's just a testament to how hard we work.”
On recovering from a slow start in the first set...
"I think we knew they were going to pounce from the very beginning, and I don't think we came out from the very first point. So I think we just knew that we had to respond and fight back, because they weren't going down without a fight.”
UCLA Head Coach Alfee Reft
On his feelings after the match...
“I'm proud of our team for the match we played tonight, certainly for the run we had in this tournament. Kentucky--hats off to them. They are the real deal. They're a good team. But I told our team in the locker I’m proud of how we went about our process in this tournament. And I extremely proud of each player on this team and what they built this year. I'm proud of [Lola Schumacher and Kate Duffey] sitting with me and what they mean to the movement of this program, what they will mean to the movement of this program within the next two years. We don't feel great about the loss, but we were proud of what we were building in the process that we're having so.”
On the team's attitude after a tight first set...
“I think we primed in and prefaced this match, knowing what's going to be one run every set. It's going to come down a one run. We expected that, knowing their grade. It hurt, but we weren't surprised. It was just a quick reset, and it's like, 'okay, what are the changes we need to make'? I thought their outsides starting to get pretty hot, and those outsides are pretty impressive. We were more problem solving and making sure we just make the adjustments tactically that we need to make. The team was incredibly focused--no rattle--and just very mission-oriented and ready to move into the next set. So, I'm really proud of their composure and their voice through tight sets, through getting blown out, and then coming back in the third set, I think it was a testament to the maturity of his team through the year.”
On Eva Hudson and Brooklyn DeLeye’s impact on the game...
"I think, physically, they're playing on a different level. Regardless of where alignments were, I thought they were just playing at a height that you couldn't touch and block. And then their vision and their tool kit, their ability to hit every angle record, is pretty impressive. We certainly scouted for that and seeing it in person was a little bit different. So kudos to them and to Craig for the work he's done with them. I’ve seen both of their college careers, and I think they're playing the best volleyball they’ve played. They're getting better. We haven't seen a lot of outsides that can do that to us.”
UCLA sophomore setter Kate Duffey
On feelings after first set…
“I think it’s hard to lose like that after fighting for so long, but I’m proud of the way we fought. We had it together and we were confident about the way we moved forward.”
On building momentum after a tough second set…
“I think the second set definitely just started to slip away from us and that pissed us off. We came back in the third set with a little bit of fire, which I think fueled us a little bit into that third set. It was a win or go home set for us so we were definitely playing with that on the line.”
UCLA sophomore libero Lola Schumacher
On feelings after first set…
“We knew it was going to be a battle tonight and we knew it was going to go point for point, dig for dig, set for set, and kill for kill. They fought and we fought for those sets, and like they coach said, it’s not great to lose, but I think our energy and momentum into the second set was great.”
On tonight's environment…
“When we come into these games, it’s tunnel vision. We have our blinders on and we’re going to do what we do and they’re going to do what they do, but we really focus on not letting outside noise and talk really affect us. We really just hone in on what we want to do, what we do well, and doing that on the court.”
On preparation for tonight’s game…
“I would say trusting our training helps. Credit to the coaches, we will never play a game that’s harder than any one of our practices. Credit to them for putting us into those situations because we’re prepared every single time we step on the court. And credit to the Big Ten because every team you play in the Big Ten is a battle.”