LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky volleyball team will appear in a program-record 11 nationally televised regular-season matches during the 2026 season, continuing the program's rise to national prominence under head coach Craig Skinner. The schedule was announced Wednesday by UK Athletics and features matchups against several powerhouse programs.

One of the season's marquee attractions is Kentucky's first-ever regular-season home match on ABC, pitting the Wildcats against in-state rival Louisville on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. ET. The match also marks at least two nationally accessible over-the-air broadcast windows for the Wildcats, with Kentucky facing Penn State on FOX from Wrigley Field on Sept. 6.

The Wildcats will open their season with two ESPN broadcasts at the AVCA First Serve in Milwaukee, facing Wisconsin on Aug. 21 and Pittsburgh on Aug. 23. Additional ESPN appearances include matches against UCLA, Texas and Florida, as well as a national championship rematch against Texas A&M on Oct. 25. The Kentucky-Florida matchup on Oct. 4 will be part of ESPN's new Women's Sports Sunday campaign, featuring a pregame show.

Three additional matches will air on SEC Network, including the SEC/ACC Challenge against North Carolina on Sept. 9, SEC play-opening at Vanderbilt on Sept. 23, and a border battle in Knoxville against Tennessee on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. ET.

Skinner, who will enter his 22nd season in 2026 with an all-time record of 497-157, appears to have advocated for the Louisville-Kentucky showdown to receive premium television exposure. At Wednesday's media day, Skinner said he questioned why a Louisville-Kentucky volleyball match wouldn't be broadcast on ABC.

The Wildcats finished the 2025 season as the NCAA runner-up, falling just short of claiming UK's second national championship. Nearly every player from last season's roster is returning for 2026. The SEC Volleyball Tournament will be televised across SEC Network and SECN+ beginning Nov. 20 in Savannah, Georgia.