Brooklyn DeLeye, one of Kentucky volleyball’s four All-Americans this season, did not have her best offensive performance in the Final Four on Thursday night.
The junior outside hitter still found a way to land 15 kills, second-most for the Wildcats behind only Eva Hudson’s 29, but it was far from a perfect showing. She finished with a .160 hitting percentage (she’s currently .284 for the entire season) while posting a team-high seven errors. Those numbers are well short of what she’s been doing on a match-by-match and set-by-set basis this season.
But DeLeye didn’t let those struggles bother her. With her hits not consistently landing, she leaned on being a playmaker in other areas.
“She turned into a defensive machine,” Fellow All-American outside hitter Eva Hudson said of her teammate.
DeLeye finished with 14 digs and a team-best five blocks. Kentucky needed every single one of them to sneak out a thrilling five-set win over Wisconsin, sending the Wildcats back to another national championship and the first since winning it all in 2020. Some of her digs looked like something out of a video game. DeLeye still found ways to power home a handful of timely kills, particularly in the fourth and fifth sets. Four of her 15 kills came in the decisive fifth set.
“If I was dwelling on my performance, I wouldn’t have been able to be there for my teammates,” DeLeye said.
The 2nd dig here by Brooklyn DeLeye looks physically impossible😳
How does the human body react that quickly and that accurately? pic.twitter.com/EpL3UccgMS
— WT – Mo D Enthusiast (@WildcatsTongue) December 19, 2025
Being in Kansas City for the Final Four (and now the championship) is somewhat of a homecoming for DeLeye, who grew up in Topeka, KS, and attended Washburn Rural High School. She was the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year and holds her school’s record for kills. With so much family nearby, it’s been a whirlwind week for her already, one that isn’t even close to being finished yet. Kentucky takes on Texas A&M in the title match on Sunday.
“I’ve had everybody texting me throughout the time. I’ve just felt so loved over this week, and it’s just so cool that I get to represent a place like Topeka,” DeLeye said. “I would not be the person I am today without each and every one of those people. I’m just out here having fun with my teammates and I’m just glad I get to do it at almost my home state. I know we’re in Kansas City, Missouri, but who even looks at that?”
DeLeye is just one more win away from celebrating in familiar territory. But Kentucky likely wouldn’t be here if she weren’t able to make individual sacrifices for the good of the Wildcats. Last season, DeLeye was the SEC Player of the Year, an award that went to Hudson this season. With a superstar talent like Hudson coming over in the transfer portal from Purdue, it meant DeLeye might need to take a step back or two.
And that’s exactly what she did, but without having to give up much of anything for herself or her team. DeLeye was still a First Team All-American and a First Team All-SEC player this season. She averaged 4.62 kills per set in 2025, only a slight dip from her mark of 4.77 last year. But Kentucky couldn’t get past the Elite Eight in 2024. By embracing a talent like Hudson by her side, she helped unlock a nearly unstoppable team.
“It’s evident by watching her play,” Head coach Craig Skinner said when asked how he’s seen DeLeye elevate her teammates. “The thrill that she gets out of someone next to her doing something special, is enormous. Brooklyn has gotten accolades her whole life in every sport that she’s played. She’s been MVPs and state champion and USA MVP and captain. Her accolades speak for themselves, and she’s earned every single one of those.
“But the thrill and joy she gets in seeing other people doing well is so inspirational to them, because they know what type of player she is. She is always about the team.”