Brooklyn DeLeye leads Kentucky in kills and figures to have a lot of family and friends at Thursday night's national semifinal against Wisconsin. (Vicky Graff Photo)
She’s never played in a Final Four but Kentucky junior outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye certainly is familiar with the venue for this year’s national championship in Kansas City.
DeLeye is from nearby Topeka, Kansas — about 60 miles from Kansas City. And if you are looking for a good omen for Kentucky, remember that when the Cats won the 2020 national championship that UK’s star player was setter Madison Lilley, another Kansas native.
“It’s been surreal. When we were busing over here, it’s a (familiar) place, someplace that I go to very often, even growing up. So, it’s just really cool to be back and super excited for the opportunity,” DeLeye said during Wednesday’s press conference before UK plays Wisconsin Thursday night,
DeLeye was the 6A Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year for Kansas her senior season when she set the school record for kills at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka.
She added another honor Tuesday when she was honored as a first-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.Teammate Eva Hudson was also a first-team pick while setter Kassie O’Brien was named to the second team and libero Molly Tuozzo to the third team.
“I think we were just so happy for each other. It truly is a team sport. None of us would have gotten those awards without every one of our teammates,” DeLeye said. “We truly are 14 (players) strong. Some girls got it and some did not get it (the recognition) unfortunately, but we seriously would not have done it without all of these girls and I just think it shows that everybody’s in it for each other.
“Every day in practice we are just working to make each other better. I think it just shows that we just love each other and have a great time playing together.”
DeLeye, the 2024 Southeastern Conference player of the Year, leads Kentucky with 521 kills — 4.69 per set. That was second best in the SEC and 11th best in the nation. Her hitting percentage is .289 going into Final Four play. If that’s not enough, she has 257 digs and 36 blocks.
Like she normally does, DeLeye was quick to credit teammates for her success. She praised defensive specialists Tuozzo, Molly Berezowitz and Trinity Ward for being so good at what they do.
“They’re just so good with their craft. We wouldn’t be able to put the ball away if they don’t get it up. It truly makes us want to work harder for them, make those plays for them because, I mean, they’re behind us every single point. They’re even telling us what shots to hit,” DeLeye said. “Truly they may go unnoticed, but not to us.”
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The Cats face Wisconsin in the NCAA Final Four at approximately 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
