WACO, Texas – Baylor volleyball has signed graduate transfer outside hitter Avery Skinner to the 2021 roster, as announced by head coach Ryan McGuyre on Tuesday.

Skinner, a 2020-21 First-Team AVCA All-American, comes to Baylor with one season of eligibility remaining following winning the 2020-21 NCAA National Championship with the Kentucky Wildcats.

"I am absolutely thrilled about the addition of Avery Skinner to our program. She is an extremely talented and skilled athlete with strong leadership skills," said McGuyre. "Most importantly, we are adding an experienced national champion to our squad. She sees the bigger picture and has a healthy ambition to be great and help those around her."

In her four-year career at UK, Skinner hit .268 with 821 kills, averaging 3.11 kills per set. She played in 86 matches for the Wildcats, notching 178 digs, 91 blocks and 10 service aces during her time in Lexington. Her outstanding senior season included a .366 clip with 3.77 kills per set on the way to earning her first-career All-America honors, in addition to All-SEC and AVCA All-Region accolades.

Skinner is a two-time Academic All-SEC honoree and was selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team in the 2017 season. She has recorded double-digit kills 47 times in her career with two double-doubles, both coming in 2020-21. She is tied for third all-time in Kentucky history with four matches of at least 20 kills, including a career-high 22 coming on October 17, 2020, vs. Tennessee.

Originally from Katy, Skinner competed for Houston Skyline Volleyball Club and attended HCYA High School. Her father, Brian, is a 14-year NBA veteran and was a three-time all-conference pick for Baylor's men's basketball team from 1994-98. Skinner's younger sister, Madi, just finished her freshman season as an outside hitter for the Wildcats.

Skinner joins a Baylor program that reached its second-consecutive NCAA Regional Semifinals after going 20-7 in the 2020-21 season. The Bears will return fellow AVCA All-Americans Lauren Harrison, Yossiana Pressley and Hannah Sedwick to the 2021 squad.

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorVBall.