The SEC Volleyball Tournament returns this weekend for the first time in 20 years. Coaches, staffers, players and fans from all across the league are descending upon Savannah, Georgia, dreaming of hoisting the reimagined conference tournament trophy.
For Craig Skinner, the weekend may also feel a bit like a family reunion.
Through his 21 years at the helm of the Kentucky volleyball program, Skinner has amassed quite the resume. The nine-time SEC regular season champion and seven-time SEC Coach of the Year brought the conference its first National Championship in 2020-21; he's the program's all-time winningest coach and has taken the Cats to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 20 season.
But he still remembers day one.
"I’ll never forget: we got waxed 3-0 by Auburn in our first SEC match," Skinner told BBN Tonight anchor Maggie Davis ahead of the 2025 season. "I was like: 'What am I doing? I’m not cut out for this. I can’t do this. I’m going to drive myself crazy.'"
He'd soon learn the joy of the process.
"I was so emotional... But you have to be so consumed in developing players inch-by-inch, play-by-play, day-by-day," Skinner says now. "Developing a team and seeing that evolution occur versus putting everything on the wins and losses."
Easy to say when you're winning, right? This year's Kentucky volleyball squad is 22-2 overall, 15-0 against SEC competition. And yet there's still been significant growth from the beginning of the year to the present day, with Skinner again pointing to development as the cornerstone of his program.
While his current Cats gear up for the return of the league tournament, a few of his former ones are doing the same, now leading their own programs. As we talked with five current SEC volleyball coaches for this story, again and again, we heard the word "consistency."
"What I admire the most about Craig and what I try to emulate the most about Craig is just his consistency. As a human, leader, manager of people," said Anders Nelson, who is currently Vanderbilt volleyball's head coach.
Previously, Nelson spent 11 years on Skinner's staff in Lexington.
"He is the same every single day. It’s a very safe environment; it’s a loving environment to learn and grow," Nelson continued. "As a coach I felt that, and I know players feel that, as well. It’s something every program should aspire to."
Sarah Rumely Noble, who signed with the Wildcats as part of Skinner's initial recruiting and is now a UK Athletics Hall of Famer, echoed those sentiments.
"The environment Craig created was one we were able to thrive in, and I think that’s shown in the way he’s been able to sustain success over time," the now South Carolina head coach said. "We were in an environment where that competitiveness was welcome. For me, as someone who is competitive, I was able to showcase that and be myself fully. I loved coming to practice. I loved being in practice and getting better."
Both Rumely Noble and Nelson have already had a regular-season reunion with the Wildcats. Each brought their current squads into Historic Memorial Coliseum this season; each has another former Cat on their staff, as well.
In Columbia, it's assistant coach Connor Zimmick, who spent two seasons in Lexington as a graduate assistant.
In Nashville, it's assistant coach Azhani Tealer, who earned five-straight SEC regular season titles and a National Championship as a middle at Kentucky.
We asked each of them to reflect on what makes Skinner so - for lack of better words - good.
"In a sport where consistency and championships is the goal, it’s usually not attained, but Craig has attained that... He’s had so many different assistant coaches that have come through this program, but he’s been the mainstay," Zimmick offered. "Craig sets the standard; Craig sets the vibe; Craig sets the tone. Everyone follows to it."
"He demands the same regardless of the moment, regardless of the time of year."
"I think he does a great job of teaching the fundamentals in a way everyone can understand. I’ve learned so much about how to break down a skill to the very beginning," Merideth Jewell Frey, a former player turned Kentucky associate head coach, said in the days leading up to the SEC Tournament.
"He’s a lot more lighthearted than I think how I interpreted him as a player. I always knew he cared; I always knew he loved us and would do anything for us, but there was always that intimidating factor," Jewell Frey reflected. "But getting to develop more of a friendship with him and seeing how he loves and how he cares about us as a staff and our program as a whole to make our program run is super special."
"It’s definitely a full-circle moment," Rumely Noble shared ahead Cats vs. Gamecocks. "I had a great time playing here in Lexington, playing for him. He really shaped who I was as a person, as a volleyball player, and really was an integral part of why I chose to get into the coaching profession."
"Craig’s motto when we were here was like, 'I want you all to be able to go off and coach your own teams,' and he’s done a great job of that," Tealer added on the eve of her own homecoming. "We all know volleyball and the sport really well, but also how to lead people. It’s a huge testament to him. I’m proud to be part of his coaching tree."
More on each member of the Skinner tree within the SEC (select information provided by their respective schools):
Alabama Assistant Coach Nathan Matthews
- Spent two seasons as a technical coordinator at Kentucky, where he was in charge of video breakdown and analytics, contributing to the Wildcats' 2020 National Championship run.
Kentucky Associate Head Coach, Merideth Jewell Frey
- Enters her 4th season in 2025
- Bluegrass native who spent her first 2 years at Morehead State, before transferring to Kentucky ahead of her junior season.
South Carolina Head Coach: Sarah Rumely Noble
- The UK Athletics Hall of Famer was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2006 and SEC Player of the Year in 2008.
- Rumely Noble is a 4-time All-SEC setter and 2-time AVCA All-American who led the Cats to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and is the program’s all-time leader in career assists and service aces.
- Named SEC women's legend in 2019 and selected for UK Athletics Title IX Top 50 team in 2022.
- Graduated from UK in the spring of 2010 with a degree in education-kinesiology, then played overseas in France.
South Carolina Assistant Coach: Connor Zimmick
- Zimmick got his start right out of college at Kentucky, where he worked as a graduate assistant in 2018 and 2019, and he saw the Cats advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinals both years.
- He graduated from Wisconsin in 2018 before earning his master’s from UK while working as a student manager/grad assistant.
Texas Associate Head Coach: Ben Josephson
- After spending the majority of his career around the men’s game and the international game, Skinner brought Josephson into the SEC women’s fold in Lexington in 2023
- Josephson spent 2 seasons (2023-24) in Lexington with the same title.
Texas A&M Associate Head Coach Lindsey Walton:
- Spent eight seasons with the Wildcats as an assistant coach and recruiting director, where she worked closely with back-row passers and outside hitters.
- Led the development of three-time SEC Libero of the Year, Ashley Dusek.
- "Lindsey is one of the best recruiters the SEC has ever seen," head coach Jamie Morrison said via press release. "She helped build Kentucky from scratch, piece-by-piece, into what it is today.”
Texas A&M Assistant Coach and General Manager Jeff Fiorenza:
- Spent 2 seasons (2018-19) on Skinner’s staff as a volunteer coach, when the Wildcats won back-to-back SEC championships and made consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearances
- "Jeff is super passionate about volleyball since he was a freshman here," Craig Skinner told BBN Tonight's Maggie Davis. "He was a practice player, played on a club team and wanted to coach, so coached a club team here. Always aspiring to be part of this game. You want success for people like that who invest so much time and energy in to it."
Vanderbilt Head Coach Anders Nelson:
- Spent 11 years at Kentucky as he worked his way up: volunteer assistant coach (2011), full-time assistant coach (2013-16) and associate head coach (2016-22).
- In his 7 seasons as associate head coach, Kentucky compiled a 117-11 record in official SEC matches and won at least a share of six consecutive conference titles, including a perfect 18-0 record in 2018.
- In April 2021, completing a 2020 season delayed by the COVID pandemic, Kentucky defeated former national champions Washington and Texas in the Final Four to win the SEC’s first volleyball national title.
- Nelson’s recruiting efforts led to the Wildcats signing four classes ranked in the top 10 nationally, two in the top 5 and one top-ranked recruiting class.
Vanderbilt Assistant Coach Azhani Tealer
- Spent 5 years as a middle blocker at Kentucky, where she won 5-straight SEC titles and a national championship.
- She was a 2-time AVCA All-American and a 4-time ALL-SEC selection
- She still holds UK season and career attack percentage record (.430 in 2021; .377 for her career)
- Only known SEC athlete to win and play in five-straight SEC championships.
More on each member of the Skinner tree, outside the SEC (select information provided by their respective schools):
Belmont Head Coach Fritz Rosenberg
- Former UK volunteer assistant (2010), who helped guide the Wildcats to a 17-14 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
- Worked with SEC Libero of the Year, Stephanie Klefot and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American middle blocker, Lauren Rapp.
- Named Belmont Head Coach ahead of this season, after spending the past three at Mississippi State as the program's Associate Head Coach.
- Shares Ball State University, Muncie Central High School and Munciana Volleyball club ties with Skinner.
Buffalo Assistant Coach/Director of Volleyball Operations Leah Meyer
- Former AVCA All-America Honorable mention at Kentucky (2019), when the Cats compiled a 25-7 overall record and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
- Earned her MBA from the University of Kentucky in May 2020.
James Madison Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher
- First joined Skinner’s staff in the spring of 2007 and spent three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
- Named to AVCA “30 best coaches in the country under the age of 30” list in 2009.
Kennesaw State Head Coach Keith Schunzel
- Former UK assistant coach (2011-12), primarily working with the offense, when the Wildcats went 50-17 overall and twice advanced to the Sweet 16.
- Shares Ball State University, Muncie Central High School and Munciana Volleyball club ties with Skinner.
- Kentucky played in "Griffin's Game" in 2017 in honor of Schunzel's son, Griffin, who had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2015.
- “Kennesaw State hit a home run in hiring Keith,” Skinner said at the time of Schunzel's hiring. “He has an unbelievable IQ and passion for the game that will inevitably lead the program to new heights. His work ethic is outstanding, and he will be a great example for the team to follow. We are excited for Keith and his family to begin this new chapter in their lives.”
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Assistant Coach Sara Parson
- Began her career with the Rajin Cajuns ahead of the 2025 season
- Former UK graduate assistant (2021-22), when the Wildcats won a pair of SEC titles, advancing to the second round in '21 and the Sweet 16 in '22.
Louisville Associate Head Coach Todd Chamberlain
- Former UK volunteer assistant coach (2009), when Kentucky went 29-5 overall, appeared in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1992 and earned three All-America honors.
Toledo Assistant Coach Jordan Armstrong
- Volunteer coach in 2015
- Named to the AVCA 30 Under 30 list in 2023, while at Jacksonville.
Northern Illinois Assistant Coach Ross Kessler
- Former UK volunteer coach (2014), when the Wildcats went 27-6 overall, finished second in the SEC and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 13 national seed.
USC-Upstate Assistant Coach Justin Sanders
- Nicholasville, Kentucky native spent three seasons as a student manager at UK (2015-17)
- Worked with three NCAA Tournament teams, including the 2017 team which captured the program's first SEC title since 1988 and advanced to the program's first-ever Elite Eight.
- Graduated from UK with a B.S. in Kinesiology in 2018.
- Named to the AVCA 30 Under 30 list ahead of the 2025 season, his third at USC-Upstate.
Virginia Assistant Coach Travis Magorien
- Former UK volunteer coach (2017).
- Acted as UK's primary setter coach and offensive coordinator for the UK team which went to the program’s first-ever NCAA Elite 8 appearance and compiled a 29-4 overall record.
This story was shot and edited by BBN Tonight photojournalist, Nick Lazaroff. Special thanks to photojournalist Caleb Barnes, graphics artist Brent Wainscott, and the UK Sports Video department.
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.
