DeLeye Continues SEC POY Campaign with Huge Match Sunday
Kentucky volleyball sophomore Brooklyn DeLeye is having a monster season in 2024. On Sunday, DeLeye took another step toward being the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.
The Topeka, Kansas, native set a new career high with 30 kills as No. 13 Kentucky topped Georgia in four sets to remain atop the SEC standings with three matches remaining.
The 30 kills not only represented the most in DeLeye’s career, but it also set a new UK record for most kills in a four-set match during the rally scoring era. The previous record of 26 was set by Kentucky legend Leah Edmond against Missouri in 2018. DeLeye also set the UK rally scoring era record for attacks in a four-set match with 69, crushing the old record of 60, which was held by Sarah Mendoza, who did it against Tennessee in 2009.
DeLeye’s 30 kills tied the Kentucky school record for kills in any match during the rally scoring era. Edmond had 30 kills against Florida in 2019, and Anni Thomasson did the same against LSU in 2013.
As the match went on, DeLeye admitted that she wasn’t thinking about records. In fact, she admitted after the match that she had no idea she was setting multiple records in Sunday’s match.
“I’m honestly not going to lie, I had no idea what the record was before this,” DeLeye said. “I was just playing volleyball. Obviously, I couldn’t have done it without my teammates out there. I think it really was a team effort and it contributed to what I did.”
DeLeye’s 30 kills in a match are the fifth-highest in the SEC this season in a four-set match. She entered Sunday’s match third in the SEC and 11th in the nation in kills per set, at 4.68. UK head coach Craig Skinner liked how DeLeye played on Sunday.
“Awesome job by BK, breaking the record,” Skinner said. “Well done.”
Skinner also liked the resolve that his team showed after losing the first set to Georgia on Sunday.
“Proud of the team. Showed a ton of guts and toughness, especially in set two, to pull out of that deficit,” Skinner said. “We talked about having to be tough today and we needed to respond.”
DeLeye agreed with her head coach.
“I think as the games went on, we really had to step it up,” DeLeye said. “That’s what I did and the team did as a whole.”
DeLeye now has 409 kills this season, which ranks sixth in UK history during the rally scoring era. Her 30th and final kill on Sunday gave her 800 for her two-year UK career. Did DeLeye see this kind of season coming?
“Not really. I just knew that we did lose a big class last year, so we all kind of had to step it up this year,” she said. “I think everyone has really responded well. Going further in the season, we’ve really started to click as a whole. I think that’s contributed to it. I feel like Emma has done a great job of distributing it and we’ve been working to get our connection going and I think it really showed in this game.”
With DeLeye at the top of her game, the Cats moved one step closer to winning an eighth consecutive SEC title. And DeLeye took another step toward becoming the conference player of the year.
