Kentucky Athletics adds to its team with new Executive Deputy Athletics Director and Deputy CEO of Champions Blue, Jon Palumbo.

Palumbo comes from Michigan State’s Spartan Ventures, an organization similar to Kentucky’s Champions Blue. The organization serves Kentucky Athletics’ business and strategic agenda by focusing on growing revenue, supporting student-athletes, and helping the department navigate the changing landscape of college athletics. His decades of experience will be important to the UK team during a transformative era in collegiate athletics and the NIL era.

“Jon is one of the most respected leaders in our industry and someone I trust deeply. He brings a unique combination of strategic vision, operational excellence and experience leading athletic departments at the highest level, ” new Kentucky Athletic Director and Champions Blue CEO, J Batt, stated.

Batt and Palumbo previously worked together at Michigan State and Georgia Tech, where they both shared their commitment to the growth of student-athlete success. Their shared experience will aid the pair as they build on Kentucky Athletics’ momentum.

Prior to his time at Georgia Tech, Palumbo was the Athletic Director at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi from 2018-22. In his final season, the Islanders won a school-record seven Southland Conference championships.

In his role, Palumbo will advance the growth of Champions Blue, the department’s strategic priorities, and oversee strategic business initiatives as a key member of the leadership team. His experience in the field will be vital for the growth of Champions Blue.

Palumbo will begin to serve in his role on September 18th

Kentucky Volleyball head coach Craig Skinner has had a rather remarkable career thus far at the University of Kentucky. On Aug. 29, Skinner achieved his 500th win in his career with the Wildcats after a sweeping victory against South Florida.

Skinner’s 500th win came after his fourth match of his 22nd season as head coach. In his career, he has tallied a National Championship, SEC Tournament Championship and nine consecutive SEC regular season championships. Just recently, Skinner appeared in the National Championship in 2025, where the Wildcats fell to Texas A&M.

After falling short last year, the next accomplishment for Skinner is to win his second golden trophy. With many of last year’s key players returning, Skinner certainly has the skillset to win big. The Wildcats’ main returnee is Brooklyn DeLeye, a senior outside hitter and a 2025 All-American. Without last year’s star, Eva Hudson, this year’s offensive will rely of DeLeye’s powerful attacks.

She is not the only big name on this year’s roster, though. This roster includes 2025 Freshman of the Year Kassie O’Brien and returning role players Molly Tuozzo and Lizzie Carr, sister of former Kentucky Basketball player Andrew Carr.

As a whole, the 2026 Wildcats and Coach Skinner have the depth, experience, and drive to have another historical season, with a tough stretch approaching.

Over the next week, they will travel over 1,500 miles, going from Chicago, Illinois to back to Lexington, Kentucky, just to up and leave for the Bahamas a few days later.

Playing three ranked teams in this span, the results will be a key indicator for fans curious if Skinner can once again take his team to the promised land.

On Wednesday, Sept. 2 the No. 3 ranked Kentucky Volleyball team swept UCLA at Historic Memorial Coliseum, adding another win to their record and now sitting at 4-1.

Prior to the match, though, Craig Skinner was recognized for 500 career wins, which he accomplished on Saturday against South Florida. He was awarded a ceremonial ball for his pivotal role in guiding Kentucky to prominence.

Kentucky set a fast pace to open the match, winning the first set 25-13 and securing the first point of the game with an ace by sophomore Cassie O’Brien. Setting the tone, the Wildcats also won a 20-second, dig-heavy rally, creating a lead UCLA could not match.

During the second set, Kentucky faced a much faster UCLA team; however, it pushed a 5-1 scoring run to take the set. Dynamite 6-foot-5 junior outside hitter Morgan Gaerte had 16 kills throughout the match, eventually scoring the game-winning kill to secure the sweep.

Throughout the match, Gaerte’s fiery offense helped create several leads for the Wildcats

Kentucky’s service pressure was impressive, as sophomore defensive specialist Trinity Ward acquired the first set win for her team with a no-touch ace. Additionally, Gaerte recorded three consecutive aces.

However, Skinner’s team was forced to bring more heat after UCLA took the lead in the third set, making the score 14-13. The Wildcats’ errors created wonder; what’s the team’s game plan?

The Wildcats created a lead through three kills from junior outside hitter Asia Thigpen, igniting the offense to keep a one-point lead throughout the third set. The speedy defense and scrappy back-row digs helped maintain their lead.

Throughout a nailbiter of a third set, senior outside hitter Brooklyn Deleye buried the ball through two textbook back-row attacks, keeping UK in the game.

After this win, Kentucky is now 4-1, setting up for success as conference season approaches. Being thrown into a fast-paced offense in the third set will help feed the fire for their next matchups, facing three ranked opponents in a row.

Up next will be No. 13 Penn State on Sunday, Sept. 6, taking place on the historic Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.