DeLeye Prepared to Build on Outstanding Freshman Season

Brooklyn DeLeye came to the Kentucky volleyball program last season with outstanding credentials. She was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas as a high school senior and was expected to be a contributor early in her career. But even DeLeye could not have predicted how well her freshman season would go.

During the 2023 season, she was a five-time Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week, was the SEC Freshman of the Year and was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. DeLeye had a team-high 391 kills last season while hitting .287. She had a career-high 25 kills in consecutive matches against Georgia and Alabama. She reached double digits in kills in 21 out of 29 matches. Did her freshman year exceed her expectations?

“Honestly, yeah,” she said. “Getting to college, it was a hard adjustment going from high school to college in volleyball. I didn’t really know how I would do. I kind of just took it day by day, my teammates really helped me.”

Now, DeLeye will face a new challenge. She will be the focus of opponents’ game plans and will essentially have a target on her back in every match. How does she plan to handle that?

“I think now, I’m not a freshman anymore, so it’s going to be more challenging,” DeLeye said. “I think not being satisfied. This is a new year, no one knows what’s going to happen so I think working even harder to better myself and learning new skills that I can have in my back pocket.”

DeLeye had a couple of international experiences over the summer that helped her build on her successful freshman season. She was a key member of the United States team that won a gold medal in the 2024 NORCECA Women’s U21 Continental Championship in Toronto. DeLeye was honored to represent her country in the event.

“Obviously, playing with USA on your chest is an amazing opportunity and I’m forever grateful for that,” DeLeye said. “With that experience, I didn’t know what would come out of it. It was a whole new learning opportunity for me and playing in a different environment will definitely prepare me for this season.”

She also went to Japan with the UK contingent, where she was able to bond with her teammates while experiencing an entirely new culture.

“It was an amazing opportunity being able to play with the newcomers coming in,” DeLeye said. “Having that extra time to have playing experience, bettering yourself from last year.”

DeLeye will be a key component for the Cats’ offense in 2024. After her performance last season, the opposition will be focused on stopping her. But with the experience she gained last year and over the summer, DeLeye is prepared to take another step forward this season.