Junior outside hitter Madisen Skinner has solidified herself as an impact player and leader for Texas volleyball, currently one of the best teams in the nation.

Skinner’s journey to the Forty Acres began at the University of Kentucky where she was a two-time All SEC selection, two-time AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and a 2020 National Champion. Kentucky’s 2020 National Championship win over Texas saw Skinner set a career high at the time with 19 kills. At Kentucky, the outside hitter led the team with 3.78 kills per set and finished with a .282 hitting percentage.

After two seasons as a Wildcat, Skinner decided to transfer to the University of Texas. Initially, the player from Katy, Texas did not envision herself making her way back to the Lone Star State.

“(I) didn’t foresee myself coming back to Texas, but I ended up coming on a visit just very last minute. The resources here and the people here just blew my mind, and this is where I feel close to home. I’m only two hours from my family and it all just kind of played out that way,” Skinner said to Bryce Wilson on the In The Winners Club podcast.

In 2022, Skinner’s Texas debut made an immediate impact and contribution to the Longhorn team. She played in 28 matches and 94 sets before finishing fourth in the Big 12 with 344 kills and averaged 3.66 kills per set. She also scored a total of 381 points, which was second on the team and fifth in the Big 12.

In 2022, Skinner struck gold again as she earned her second national championship title, this time wearing burnt orange. She helped lead Texas to its first national championship since 2012 and credits the win to the work ethic and relationship with her team.

“It feels like a family,” Skinner said. “The hard work and us investing in our friendships and each other as people translated on the court and we genuinely enjoyed playing together and being alongside one another and supported each other no matter what.”

Skinner felt comfortable under the bright lights of the national championship game because of her previous experience playing for Kentucky. 

“I felt weirdly comfortable on that court, which, granted, I’ve been there before. I felt super calm and super relaxed,” Skinner said.

The two-time national champion knows what it takes to win at the highest level and shared her own definition of the word “winner.”

“It’s just giving it all that you had, knowing that you didn’t hold anything back, knowing that you were a great teammate and that you were someone that was fun and enjoyable to be around,” she said. “I think it just goes back to did I give it all that I had? And did I hold anything back? If you can answer yes to that thing, then I feel like you are a winner.”