"They had just made a 3-point run, and it was loud as crap. And she just goes: 'this is so fun.'"
That's what Kentucky volleyball head coach Craig Skinner said this week when asked about the play of senior outside hitter, Eva Hudson.
"She is who we are; she competes like a Kentucky Wildcat," he continued. "She brings a level of intensity that is contagious."
"I try to take in a moment every game, especially since it's my last year, of [recognizing] this is a cool opportunity to be in and I'm so grateful," Hudson told BBN Tonight anchor Maggie Davis in the days following the team's highest-ranked win of the season, at then-No. 2 Texas. "That was my moment to take it in. This is what I do it for. This is so fun."
A perfect example of why you want Eva Hudson on your side of the net. Ultimate competitor and an absolute baller https://t.co/NKZfhOfhfC pic.twitter.com/S0dL9lOX07
— Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) November 2, 2025
"Even when Texas is the team going on a run?," Davis countered.
"Oh yeah, oh yeah. I mean, it's even more fun," Hudson responds. "Playing high-level volleyball, this is what most girls dream about."
That's the competitive spirit which has helped capture the hearts of Big Blue Nation and the college volleyball world, as Hudson's fiery personality and won't-quit attitude pushes her team to its highest placement in the polls since the Cats won the National Championship in 2020.
"My mom likes to call it my swagger," Hudson laughed. "I flip a switch when it comes to game time. I don't know; I just kind of refuse to lose."
Hudson's helped her team do a lot of refusing lately, with No. 2 Kentucky on a 15-match winning streak and still rocking an unblemished record both at home and in SEC competition. Sunday's win over the Longhorns was pivotal in the Cats potentially claiming a ninth-straight SEC regular season title.
"Going into Texas, we knew we could play with these top-5, top-10 teams," Hudson said in reference to Kentucky's 5-2 record against the country's best. "We've been here before; we've played in front of huge, crazy crowds like there was. I think it instills so much confidence, especially here late in the season."
Watch our full conversation with Hudson for more of her analysis on what makes this team special, Kentucky's final goals for the season, and her "healthy competition" with fellow outside hitter, Brooklyn DeLeye:
For more on Kentucky volleyball and all of the Wildcats, join us on BBN Tonight, airing weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18.
