Madisen Skinner (born July 1, 2001[1]) is an American college volleyball player for the Texas Longhorns. She has won three NCAA championships, one with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2020 and two with the Longhorns in 2022 and 2023. She won the Honda Sports Award as the best player in college volleyball in 2023.
| Madisen Skinner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||
| Nickname | Madi | ||||||
| Born | July 1, 2001 | ||||||
| Hometown | Katy, Texas | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||
| College / University | Kentucky/Texas | ||||||
| Volleyball information | |||||||
| Position | Outside hitter | ||||||
| Current club | Texas | ||||||
| Career | |||||||
| |||||||
| National team | |||||||
| |||||||
Early life
editSkinner was raised in Katy, Texas, the daughter of Rebecca and Brian Skinner.[2] Her father played professional basketball in the NBA, and her sister Avery was an All-American volleyball player at Kentucky.[2] She started playing volleyball seriously at age 15 and was on the Houston Skyline club team.[3] She played high school volleyball for the Homeschool Christian Youth Association for three years, then transferred to Faith West Academy for her senior year in 2019–20.[4] She co-captained the team and received All-American recognition.[2][5] She committed to Kentucky as one of the top recruits of the class of 2020.[6]
College career
editSkinner played alongside her sister Avery in her first year with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2020–21.[6] That season, she recorded 2.85 kills per set on a career-high .384 hitting percentage and was recognized with Southeastern Conference (SEC) all-freshman and All-SEC honors.[7] She recorded a season-high 19 kills on .455 hitting in the 2020 NCAA tournament final against Texas, helping the Wildcats win their first national championship.[8][9] In her second year in 2021, she led the Wildcats with 3.78 kills per set on .282 hitting, again earning All-SEC honors.[2][9] She entered the NCAA transfer portal after the season, choosing Texas following head coach Jerritt Elliott's recruitment effort.[3][9]
Skinner was selected as a co-captain in her first year at Texas in 2022, recording 3.66 kills per set on .307 hitting, and was named first-team All-Big 12 Conference and third-team All-American.[2][10] She helped lead the Longhorns to a 28–1 record and the 2022 NCAA championship, their first national title since 2012, recording 12 kills in the final against Louisville.[11][12] In the 2023 season, she led the Big 12 with a career-high 4.80 kills per set and was named the Big 12 player of the year and first-team All-American.[3][13] She led the Longhorns to defend their title at the 2023 NCAA tournament and was named the event's most outstanding player, recording 18 kills and a career-high 6 aces against Wisconsin in the semi-finals and 16 kills against Nebraska in the final.[13][14] She received national player of the year honors from VolleyballMag.com and the Honda Sports Award and was named the Big 12's female athlete of the year.[15][16][17]
International career
editSkinner was first selected to represent the United States national team at the 2024 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Madisen Skinner-Volleyball World Bio". Volleyball World. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Madisen Skinner – Volleyball". Texas Longhorns. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c Huang, Christina (December 13, 2023). "Katy's Madisen Skinner found her way to UT and has shot at another NCAA volleyball title". Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ McCurdy, Jim (August 28, 2019). "Skinner, Eagles have high hopes for season". Katy Times. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Marrion, Jack (October 7, 2019). "Katy Faith West Academy flying high in volleyball". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Letcher, Tim (March 12, 2021). "Madi Skinner Continues Upward Progression on Friday". Kentucky Wildcats. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "Madi Skinner". Kentucky Wildcats. May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Yates, Dominique (April 24, 2021). "Kentucky volleyball beats Texas to win first national championship in program history". Courier Journal. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c Davis, Danny (January 9, 2022). "National champion Madi Skinner transfers to Texas to continue her volleyball career". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Borchetta, Katie (September 7, 2022). "Kentucky transfer Madisen Skinner quickly assimilates in first season at Texas". The Daily Texan. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Cole (December 18, 2022). "Texas Sweeps Louisville To Win NCAA Women's Volleyball National Title". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Mireles, Joseph (October 16, 2023). "Madisen Skinner has her eyes set on winning". The Daily Texan. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Jones, Thomas (December 17, 2023). "Madisen Skinner nabs Final Four most outstanding player award after Texas wins NCAA title". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "Madisen Skinner, freshman Ella Swindel help Texas defend volleyball title, sweep No. 1 Nebraska". Associated Press. December 18, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Feinswog, Lee (December 22, 2023). "Madisen Skinner of Texas is the VolleyballMag.com national player of the year". VolleyballMag.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Thomas (January 24, 2024). "Texas volleyball's Madisen Skinner earns national award, eligible for NCAA athlete of the year". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ Davis, Danny (June 26, 2024). "As Texas nears its Big 12 exit, Madisen Skinner honored as conference's top female athlete". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Thomas (May 15, 2024). "Texas volleyball's Madisen Skinner among four with Longhorn ties named to U.S. national team". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 15, 2024.