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Get to know the teams Kentucky is fighting for the NCAA volleyball title

There aren’t any Cinderella stories to be found in this year’s Final Four in the women’s NCAA volleyball tournament.

In fact, based on enrollment, Kentucky is the smallest school remaining.

All four teams are Power Five conference champions and were ranked and seeded in the top eight heading into the tournament.

Here’s a bit more about about each and their path to Thursday night’s national semifinals:

Kentucky

Location: Lexington, Ky.

Enrollment: 30,500.

Nickname: Wildcats.

School colors: Blue and White.

Head coach: Craig Skinner (375-126 in 16 seasons at Kentucky).

Conference: Southeastern.

2020-21 record: 22-1 overall, 19-1 SEC.

NCAA Tournament seed: No. 2.

Coaches’ poll ranking: No. 2.

How they got to the Final Four: Received an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Southeastern Conference. Defeated UNLV 3-0, Western Kentucky 3-0 and Purdue 3-0 in NCAA play.

All-time series vs. Washington: 1-3.

Last meeting: Washington defeated Kentucky 3-1 on Dec. 13, 2019, in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at Waco, Texas.

Washington

Location: Seattle, Wash.

Enrollment: 46,000.

Nickname: Huskies.

School colors: Purple and Gold.

Head coach: Keegan Cook (152-39 in six seasons at Washington).

Conference: Pacific-12.

2020-21 record: 20-3 overall, 17-3 Pac-12.

NCAA Tournament seed: No. 6.

Coaches’ poll ranking: No. 7.

How they got to the Final Four: Received an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Pac-12 Conference. Defeated Dayton 3-2, Louisville 3-2 and Pittsburgh 3-2 in NCAA play.

All-time series vs. Kentucky: 3-1.

Last meeting: Washington defeated Kentucky 3-1 on Dec. 13, 2019, in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at Waco, Texas.

Wisconsin

Location: Madison, Wis.

Enrollment: 45,540.

Nickname: Badgers.

School colors: Cardinal and White.

Head coach: Kelly Sheffield (204-49 in eight seasons at Wisconsin).

Conference: Big Ten.

2020-21 record: 18-0 overall, 15-0 Big Ten.

NCAA Tournament seed: No. 1.

Coaches’ poll ranking: No. 1.

How they got to the Final Four: Received an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big Ten Conference. Defeated Weber State 3-0, BYU 3-0 and Florida 3-2 in NCAA play.

All-time series vs. Texas: Tied 4-4.

Last meeting: Wisconsin defeated Texas 3-1 in the HotelRed Invitational in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2018.

Texas

Location: Austin, Texas.

Enrollment: 51,832.

Nickname: Longhorns.

School colors: Burnt Orange and White.

Head coach: Jerritt Elliott (504-106 in 20 seasons at Texas).

Conference: Big 12.

2020-21 record: 26-1 overall, 16-0 Big 12.

NCAA Tournament seed: No. 4.

Coaches’ poll ranking: No. 5.

How they got to the Final Four: Received an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big 12 Conference. Defeated Wright State 3-0, Penn State 3-1 and Nebraska 3-1 in NCAA play.

All-time series vs. Wisconsin: Tied 4-4.

Last meeting: Wisconsin defeated Texas 3-1 in the HotelRed Invitational in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2018.

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