‘It means everything.’ UK volleyball greats in pros return to Memorial to face Kentucky.

On Thursday evening, two former Wildcats will return to Memorial Coliseum.

Athletes Unlimited Volleyball, the only stateside professional women’s indoor volleyball league, has just begun an exhibition tour that will take the team around the country to face some of the nation’s top collegiate programs.

Thursday’s 7 p.m. match against Kentucky is the second stop in the nine-city tour. The event will mark the final time the UK team plays in Memorial Coliseum before a renovation begins later this year. Admission for fans is free.

Kaz Brown (2014-17) and Leah Edmond (2016-19), both of whom helped earn UK volleyball an SEC championship in 2017, won’t be wearing Kentucky blue this time around, but they say it’s a dream come true.

“It means everything to me to come back to play in Memorial,” said Brown, who still ranks second all-time at UK in attack percentage (.357). “The building itself is so historic and so many amazing athletes have competed there. I feel honored to be a small part of that legacy. It is definitely going to be strange to not be in a Kentucky jersey, but I’m extremely grateful to UK and AU for making this amazing opportunity come to life.”

The tour, which also pits the pros against Louisville, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Baylor, Howard and Penn State, began on March 25 at Ohio State.

Not only does the exhibition tour allow for AU Volleyball, which traditionally sees its five-week regular seasons limited to one city, to spread the word about the league and the opportunities it provides to athletes, but it also offers the college athletes a chance to play in a completely new way.

Edmond, a Paul Laurence Dunbar High School graduate and UK volleyball’s all-time career kills leader (1,978), enjoyed the experience of sharing AU Volleyball with the Buckeyes.

“Playing a college team as a pro is different,” Edmond said. “The way we play, the way we use the ball. The type of game we play, it’s just different. So there was definitely an adjustment, but it was really cool as well because Ohio State wanted to play our league layout. So, the third and fourth sets, we drafted girls and we played combined and that was a really cool experience. They have a really young team, so getting to help them through that and get them to experience our type of play in playing with us, I think was really beneficial but it’s also really cool in general.”

Athletes Unlimited, which also fields basketball, lacrosse and softball leagues, has a unique format.

AU Volleyball is scoring-forward, meaning that — across three sets — the point total is the determining factor in who wins a match. So even if a team were to drop two out of the three sets, if that team had accumulated the highest point total overall, it would still win the match.

Following the final match of each week, the top four point scorers are each named the captain of one of four teams, Gold, Orange, Purple and Blue, who then draft from the remaining 40 available players to compete the next week.

According to the league, this method is meant to highlight individual athletes.

“Athletes Unlimited has developed a scoring system for the sport of volleyball that is designed to highlight the individual performance of an athlete within the context of overall team performance,” the league website reads. “Given the nature of the Athletes Unlimited unique competition format, the scoring system should account for both the player’s measurable individual statistical impact, as well as their intangible influence on team outcomes. Historical data from international competition matches were used to craft the initial models, which were then refined through simulations, compared against actual match results, and integrated with the team and MVP point structures that appear in all Athletes Unlimited scoring systems.”

The league is increasing in popularity, with AU Volleyball even moving to the fall this year during the collegiate season. Every game will be broadcast on ESPN networks and ESPN Plus.

“To be able to play on ESPN in the fall,” Edmond said. “That just speaks volumes to what the league is doing. And we have so many people that now want to come and play for the league, like I have so many friends that are like, ‘Hey, like I want to play too, like how do I get into this?’ I definitely see the popularity rising up and I think this tour is going to be really helpful for that. ... I think being able to travel and tell people about it and get it on their radar will be really exciting and definitely bring even more fans.”

Community involvement is also a significant component of the tour. On Wednesday night, the team is doing a Q & A with Lexington United, Edmond’s former high school club.

Athletes Unlimited kicked off its exhibition volleyball tour last Saturday at Ohio State. AU visits UK in Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night.
Athletes Unlimited kicked off its exhibition volleyball tour last Saturday at Ohio State. AU visits UK in Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night.

“We’re doing a lot of outreach while we are out on these tours,” Edmond said. “I mean, we’re going to so many different cities and places and we really want to connect with the community and grow volleyball. So I think that’s a really cool aspect that we will get to not only be around the college girls and talk to them and help them but like getting to be around younger kids and just growing the game of volleyball (in the U.S.). ... It’s such a big thing to be able to know that you can stay at home and still play the sport you love.”

And, just as the program uses a grassroots approach to growing the game, Edmond, who still lives in Lexington, is doing the same to pack Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night.

“I‘ve literally told every single person in Lexington that I know that I’ll be playing in Lexington again,” Edmond said. “I’m just so excited, and I have definitely tons of family that will be here. And so many friends.

“It’s really exciting to know that I get to see so many people understand and I’ll feel like deja vu to when we used to play in Memorial, so I’m just really, really excited to have so many people that will be able to be at the game.”

Thursday

Athletes Unlimited at Kentucky

What: Pro vs. college volleyball exhibition match

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Memorial Coliseum

TV: SEC Network Plus (online only)

Admission: Free

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