Madisen Skinner (born 2001) is an American volleyball player. She has won three NCAA championships in four years of college volleyball, one with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2020 and two with the Texas Longhorns in 2022 and 2023. She won the Honda Sports Award as the best player in college volleyball in 2023.
| Madisen Skinner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 2001 (age 22–23) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| College / University | Kentucky (2020–2021) Texas (2022–) | ||
| Volleyball information | |||
| Position | Outside hitter | ||
| National team | |||
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Early life
Skinner was raised in Katy, Texas, one of six children born to Brian and Rebecca Skinner.[1] Her father played professional basketball in the NBA, and her sister Avery was an All-American volleyball player at Kentucky.[1] She started playing volleyball seriously at age 15 and was on the Houston Skyline club team.[2] 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.[3] She co-captained the team and received All-American recognition.[1][4] She committed to Kentucky as one of the top recruits of the class of 2020.[5]
College career
Skinner played alongside her sister Avery in her first year with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2020–21.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7][8] In her second year in 2021, she led the Wildcats with 3.78 kills per set on .282 hitting, again earning All-SEC honors.[1][8] She entered the NCAA transfer portal after the season, choosing Texas following head coach Jerritt Elliott's recruitment effort.[2][8]
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.[1][9] 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.[10][11] 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.[2][12] 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.[12][13] She received VolleyballMag.com National Player of the Year recognition and the Honda Sports Award for volleyball as the country's best college player.[14][15]
International career
Skinner was first selected to represent the United States national team at the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League.[16]