Brooklyn DeLeye Becomes Kentucky Volleyball's All-Time Aces Leader

Put this one in the Kentucky volleyball record book. Brooklyn DeLeye is now the program's all-time leader in aces. On Oct. 16 at Oklahoma, she served her 120th career ace, passing Eleanor Beavin's mark of 119. Kentucky Volleyball's post summed it up in two words: "RECORD. HOLDER."

The record is only part of the story. The night DeLeye broke it was one of the best all-around performances of her career, and it kicked off a weekend that earned her SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The record night
No. 4 Kentucky beat Oklahoma 3-1 at McCasland Fieldhouse, by set scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-27 (a set Oklahoma won) and 25-16. DeLeye was nearly flawless:
- 19 kills on 30 swings with one error, for a .600 hitting percentage
- Nine digs and four blocks
- The record-setting 120th career ace

Teammates made history that night too. Setter Kassie O'Brien passed 2,000 career assists, and libero Molly Tuozzo had 22 digs.

The weekend that followed
DeLeye kept going against Arkansas, putting down 15 kills in a sweep. Over the weekend she hit .593 with six aces, and she extended her streak to nine straight matches with 10 or more kills. The SEC named her its co-Offensive Player of the Week, one of three Wildcats honored that week: Kassie O'Brien was the league's overall Player of the Week and Setter of the Week, and Morgan Gaerte was co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Why aces matter
An ace is a point earned without the opponent ever setting up an attack. A server who can produce them changes how the other team plays. Passers move up, rotations get tense, and an aggressive serve that doesn't go for an ace still often leads to an easy free ball. A record for career aces is really a record for steady, game-changing pressure.

A career built on toughness
DeLeye is a two-time All-American. In 2025 she set a career high with 545 kills and entered this season with 1,467 career kills. She did that while playing through a torn meniscus, which says plenty about why teammates and coaches lean on her.

Every ace she adds from here extends her record.

What it means for Kentucky
Kentucky opened this season at No. 3 in the preseason poll, the program's highest preseason ranking ever, and the Wildcats look like a team built for December. A player who scores from the service line, the pins and the back row gives Craig Skinner's team an answer in any match, and that versatility matters in the NCAA tournament.

Where she ranks among Kentucky greats
Kentucky has a long line of standout attackers, and DeLeye's résumé already puts her in that group: two All-America honors, the career aces record and 1,467 career kills entering her senior season. What sets her apart is that she produces in every phase. She can score from the pins, hold up defensively and set the tone from the service line.

What to watch next
Watch her serving in tight sets. Players who chase records sometimes play it safe to avoid errors. DeLeye has stayed aggressive, and that approach will matter in close postseason matches where one serving run can swing a set.

Her record in one place
120 career aces and counting, a program record. Two All-America honors. A .600 night at Oklahoma. SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week. Nine straight matches with double-digit kills.

Our Take: Records like this usually belong to players who stay, improve and keep competing, and DeLeye checks all three boxes. Passing Beavin's mark is a milestone. The bigger story is a two-time All-American playing the best volleyball of her career for a team with national title hopes. Congratulations, Brooklyn. Now keep serving.

Sources: UK Athletics, DeLeye's .600 night overpowers Oklahoma 3-1 · UK Athletics, DeLeye's monster weekend capped by sweep of Arkansas · UK Athletics, O'Brien, DeLeye and Gaerte win SEC Player of the Week honors · On3/KSR, a healthy DeLeye locked in for her senior season · Kentucky Volleyball on X