Kentucky had the kind of night it was looking for in its home opener.
After the loss to Pitt on Sunday, the Wildcats answered Friday at Memorial Coliseum with a clean 3-0 sweep of Utah State, winning 25-13, 25-14, 25-17. The evening also included a pregame ceremony that unveiled the 2025 NCAA National Runner Up banner.
Brooklyn DeLeye set the tone. The fourth-year player hit .600 and finished with 16 kills, four digs, three service aces and one assist, continuing to look every bit like one of the nation’s top players.
As a team, Kentucky was sharp from the start. The Wildcats went the first 66 points of the match siding out at a 100 percent clip and ended the night hitting .436.
Utah State was held to .117 hitting, and the Aggies never found much traction once Kentucky got rolling. In the final set, Utah State hit .000.
Sophomore setter Kassie O’Brien kept the offense humming with 33 assists on 44 Kentucky kills. She also added three digs and three blocks, while middle Lizzie Carr hit .583 with two blocks. Notre Dame transfer Morgan Gaerte had seven kills and hit .500 in her third match with Kentucky.
“We came out and just wanted to play our game,” O’Brien said on the SEC Network after the match. “It was a great atmosphere, lots of fans and great to see BBN show up.”
Kentucky’s early-season schedule already included Wisconsin and Pitt, and O’Brien said those matches helped the Wildcats settle in.
“It was good to play them in the beginning of the season. We want to play the best of the best to be the best. We didn’t want to let up tonight,” O’Brien said.
She also talked about the growing connection with Gaerte.
“Each day we continue to grow,” O’Brien said about her relationship with Gaerte. “She is a great player and is so long. I have to get the ball up higher so she can see the whole court.
“This team is so special because we have so many great hitters and I can go to anyone. They did a great job of putting it away. It is awesome for me to feed them the ball.”
On defense, Kentucky got 11 digs from libero Molly Tuozzo, who led all players, and four of the team’s six blocks came from Kennedy Washington.
O’Brien said she values that side of the game just as much as the setting work.
“Each day there is something I want to grow in. You can’t be great in just one spot on the floor,” O’Brien said. “You have to work on all components to become a better player.
Kentucky will host South Florida tonight at 6;
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