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Before the Wildcats are to play Penn State at Wrigley Field to finish volleyball’s inaugural Big Ten/SEC challenge, they needed to experience what it’s like to play outdoors.
Kentucky volleyball’s Craig Skinner reflects on the growth of the sport
Kentucky volleyball coach Craig Skinner highlights the sport’s growth as either Kentucky or Louisville has reached the Final Four in the past five years.
LEXINGTON — Some sitting, others lying under a shaded bench at the UK Outdoor Track and Field Facility, student managers for Kentucky volleyball decided to pass the time Thursday evening by playing a game of Rose, Bud, Thorn.
Rose, the highlight of one’s day; Bud, what they’re most looking forward to; and Thorn, their low point. There were about a handful of them out there by 4:30 p.m., 30 minutes before outdoor practice was scheduled to start. They took turns reviewing the previous 12 hours or so while adjusting their sunglasses, taking sips of water from insulated metal bottles and applying SPF 30 Australian Gold sunscreen courtesy of head coach Craig Skinner.
Roses ranged from morning workout classes to nail appointments. Buds from UK’s upcoming outdoor match this weekend against Penn State at Wrigley Field to the “everything shower” they’d be taking once practice was over. And thorns … well, one manager expected her thorn to make itself known in about 35 minutes.
But Thursday evening’s practice was a necessary evil. Before the Wildcats are to play Penn State at Wrigley Field to cap the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge, they needed to experience what it’s like to play outside. So the staff set up two horizontal courts in the track infield using rope, anchors, nets and antennae, giving their setup the same orientation toward the sun as Wrigley’s will just above second base.
With the heat index in triple digits and actual temperature around 97 degrees Fahrenheit, they only spent 45 minutes passing, serving, setting and killing on grass. Far from the exact conditions they’ll experience Sunday on a raised Taraflex court at one of professional baseball’s most vaunted stadiums. But Skinner said it was important to get something in when they did.
“Just the elements, the depth perception, the wind, the feel of what the ball is going to be like,” Skinner said of the benefits that came with Thursday’s practice. “When you’re setting, when you’re hitting, when you’re passing, you just can’t replicate it in any indoors. So we just felt like, even if it was in a grass surface like this, and outside, getting the depth perception will give us just a little bit closer to where we need to be.”
In the huddle between drills, Skinner encouraged his players to “experiment” with the typical game speeds of various hits. Sometimes, outside, a ball hit at 35 miles per hour may travel further than one hit at 42 just because of the wind. High-tempo rallies will probably move through the air cleaner than higher volleys. “I don’t know the physics behind that,” he conceded, “but just trust me.”
At the beginning of practice, several players poked fun at the challenges that came with no roof over their playing surface.
“Catch me outside, how ’bout that?” freshman defensive specialist Sidney Burley joked, referencing a 10-year-old viral meme.
“Another day in the lab,” said another player, voices blending in the hot air. One of her teammates quickly replied “Outside the lab,” emphasis on “outside.”
“My eyes are watering!” someone else chirped, finding it harder to set in the sunshine than in Historic Memorial Coliseum.
The first water break came around 5:10 p.m. Before moving on to the next drill, Skinner talked to his team about the importance of “making the least excuses.”
“All four teams (UK-Penn State, Missouri-Nebraska) are playing in the same environment, and it’s not gonna be perfect. It’s not gonna be clean. There’s going to be moments where we look awesome, and moments where it looks like maybe we’re in our second or third year playing volleyball because of the wind. So it is what it is. We’re going to have some challenges. We’re going to make some great plays and not-so-great plays, and we just gotta move on. You can’t live in the past.”
By the time practice ended with three long whistles 35 minutes later, players groaned, wishing they could stay out in the heat a little longer. They had proverbially and literally rolled up their sleeves to make the most of the evening.
In order to practice outside, UK had to ask the NCAA for a waiver. Most drills started from the right side of the court, because UK knows it will come out of the first base/visitor locker room Sunday with the Big Ten playing host. Should the match go to five sets, UK will spend most of its time on the right side.
Players are allowed to wear sunglasses, which is good, because sunset in Chicago has come around 7:20 p.m. Central time this week, which is an hour and 20 minutes after first serve. As of Thursday evening, Accuweather projects Wrigley Field to experience a high of 77 degrees and a low of 68 degrees Sunday, describing conditions as “mostly sunny, pleasant and less humid.” The “real feel” will be 81 degrees, max UV index a 6.0, chance of rain just 3% and wind speed 9 mph east-northeast.
The weather safety policy for Sunday night’s matches between UK-Penn State and Missouri-Nebraska requires the temperature to stay below 92 degrees, the heat index below 105 and the wind speed under 19 MPH, a spokesperson for UK volleyball told The Courier Journal. All those conditions should be satisfied, meaning teams will not have to pivot to the Big Ten’s backup plans of playing at either Wrigley Field or Wintrust Arena on Monday instead.
The court is scheduled to be installed Saturday, giving all four teams an opportunity to practice ahead of Sunday’s matches. Both days in the Windy City should be much less harsh weather wise than Lexington was Thursday.
A large black JBL speaker set the mood for much of the 45-minute session. It sat between grassy courts and blasted contemporary pop songs. Not quite what the student managers were hoping for before everyone else arrived.
“Play something cold!”
“Yes, cold vibes!”
“Maybe some Christmas music!”
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25. Subscribe to her “Full-court Press” newsletter here for a behind-the-scenes look at how college sports’ biggest stories are impacting Louisville and Kentucky athletics.
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Lowe’s plans to open three more stores in 2026, one of which is in Kentucky, the company said in a news release.
The location in Walton will be one of several across the Bluegrass State, including five in Louisville.
Lowe’s has over 1,750 home improvement stores, 540 branches and 120 distribution centers. Here’s what we know about the Houston area store and the other two openings slated for 2026.
Where is Lowe’s opening new stores?
The company plans to open five stores this year in Florida, Kentucky and Texas. Lowe’s opened its Port St. Lucie, Florida, store on June 5 and its Kaufman, Texas, store on Aug. 7.
The final three openings include two in Texas and one in Kentucky.
Texas
- West Katy/Houston area – 981 Heritage Oak Lane (opening Sept. 4)
- Willis – 12220 Interstate 45 N. (opening in late November)
Kentucky
- Walton – 12100 Towne Center Drive (opening in late October or early November)
What’s new at the West Katy store?
Part of the company’s expansion in the Houston area, Lowe’s West Katy location has about 95,000 square feet of retail space and 30,000 square feet of outdoor garden area, the company said in the news release.
The store will include in-store updates such as:
- A redesigned kitchen showroom.
- Selling desks for installation and service projects.
- A larger selection of luxury appliances and kitchen products.
- Larger, interactive product displays.
- QR codes customers can scan to see online options and access a style quiz, budget calculator and 3D visualizer that shows customers a 3D rendering of their potential projects.
- Buy online pick up in-store zones with self-service lockers to pick up items.
- The Lowe’s Paint Visualizer, which helps customers view a larger Sherwin-Williams color assortment online and see what colors will look like in their homes.
- Mylow, Lowe’s AI assistant.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
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