DeLeye, Grome Headline SEC Weekly Award Winners for Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the sixth time this season, Emma Grome was named the Southeastern Conference’s Setter of the Week on Monday afternoon, while standout Brooklyn DeLeye was crowned with her league-leading fourth SEC Freshman of the Week award.
Grome added to her NCAA-leading 12.00 assists per set this week, as she led the UK offense to a .372 hitting percentage in the two matches combined and logged 12.88 assists per set during the week. Grome had 55 assists vs. Texas A&M for her 10th match this season with 50 or more assists and closed out the weekend with a 48-dig performance against Mizzou. Grome also had a half dozen digs in each match as she led Kentucky to three total sets out of the eight in which the Wildcats hit .500 or above as a team thanks to her decision making and leadership.
Freshman outside Brooklyn DeLeye continued her stellar freshman season, logging 4.75 kills per set on the weekend and becoming the first freshman at Kentucky since Leah Edmond in 2016 to have three 20-plus kill performances in her freshman season. DeLeye tallied 18 kills in Thursday night’s win over the Aggies as she also had eight digs, while tallying 20 kills vs. Missouri as UK won in four with a block and out-of-system kill thrown in as well. The six-rotation player now leads Kentucky with a 3.64 kills per set number for all matches this year.
The Wildcats are now 17-7 overall on the season and sit 15-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Kentucky will take a one-match lead into the final weekend of SEC play, with both Arkansas and Tennessee sitting one game behind. A win for Kentucky in either of its final two matches will clinch an SEC Championship. Its first chance will come on the road in the SEC match of the season Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET at No. 9 Arkansas.
SEC Players of the Week – Week 13
Offensive | Jill Gillen, Arkansas |
Defensive | Raeven Chase, Tennessee |
Setter | Emma Grome, Kentucky |
Co-Freshman | Brooklyn DeLeye, Kentucky and Caroline Kerr, Tennessee |
The Player of the Week is Jill Gillen of Arkansas.
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