The Wildcats know what's waiting for them this season: Kentucky volleyball's path toward a staggering 10th-straight SEC regular season title is set, as the league released the sport's schedule for the 2026 season Wednesday afternoon.
The 15-match slate features one match with each SEC program: eight road tests and seven at home.
SEC opening week is the week of September 21st, when the Wildcats will make their debut appearance in Nashville to open SEC play at Vanderbilt. A star-studded showdown comes to Lexington for match No. 2, as the Texas Longhorns travel to the Bluegrass on the league's opening weekend. The two perennial powers will face off in Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, September 27.
Get your tickets #BBN. A lot of good matches in the Coliseum! Go Cats! https://t.co/nJ42R0OOf8
— Craig Skinner (@UKCoachSkinner) April 22, 2026
Five of the next seven matches for the Wildcats will be on the road as UK faces a tough swing at Auburn on October 2 and at Florida on the 4th.
After home matches with LSU and Ole Miss, it will be a three-match road trip for Kentucky as it faces Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee in succession with the match in Knoxville on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
A rematch of the 2025 NCAA National Championship with Kentucky and Texas A&M will take place in Lexington on Oct. 25 at Historic Memorial Coliseum to close out a four-match homestand, the final four matches of the SEC home season for the Wildcats. After the Aggies and Wildcats dual it out, UK will host Missouri (Oct. 30), Alabama (Nov. 6) and Mississippi State (Nov. 8) for Senior Day to wrap up the home regular season slate.
Kentucky closes SEC play with a two-match road trip beginning Friday, Nov. 6 in Columbia, S.C., against the Gamecocks and then a Nov. 15 showdown at Georgia.
The 2026 SEC Volleyball Tournament will return to Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia for the second-straight season. The conference tournament's opening round matches begin Friday, Nov. 20 and run through the championship match on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The Wildcats cut down the nets in the tournament's return last season.
So after Kentucky plays Wisconsin, Pitt, UCLA, Penn State, Houston, Purdue and SMU in the non-conference...
— Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) April 22, 2026
The Cats then play Texas in their 2nd SEC game of the season 🔥🤯 And the reigning champs come to HMC on Oct. 25th
Good NIGHT this schedule is amazing (as usual) https://t.co/CKo53JezBN
2026 SEC Volleyball Schedule – Kentucky
Wednesday, Sept. 23 // @ Vanderbilt
Sunday, Sept. 27 // TEXAS
Friday, Oct. 2 // @ Auburn
Sunday, Oct. 4 // @ Florida
Friday, Oct. 9 // LSU
Sunday, Oct. 11 // OLE MISS
Friday, Oct. 16 // @ Oklahoma
Sunday, Oct. 18 // @ Arkansas
Wednesday, Oct. 21 // @ Tennessee
Sunday, Oct. 25 // TEXAS A&M
Friday, Oct. 30 // MISSOURI
Friday, Nov. 6 // ALABAMA
Sunday, Nov. 8 // MISSISSIPPI STATE
Friday, Nov. 13 // @ South Carolina
Sunday, Nov. 15 // @ Georgia
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.
