# Healthy DeLeye Ready to Lead Kentucky Volleyball's Pursuit of 10th SEC Title **Published:** 2026-08-19T16:53:41.000Z **Source:** [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/08/19/healthy-deleye-ready-for-senior-season/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/healthy-deleye-ready-to-lead-kentucky-volleyball-s-pursuit-of-10th-sec-title Kentucky volleyball's Brooklyn DeLeye is fully healthy and ready to return to full strength as the Wildcats begin their quest for a 10th consecutive Southeastern Conference regular-season championship this season, according to [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/08/19/healthy-deleye-ready-for-senior-season/). The senior outside hitter spent much of last season battling a torn meniscus in her left knee, an injury she sustained in the team's second match against Nebraska and was confirmed shortly before a matchup with Washington on Sept. 20. Despite the pain, DeLeye chose to continue playing rather than undergo surgery, prioritizing her team's prospects in SEC play and the NCAA Tournament. "I wanted to be out there to fight with them instead of just watching from the sidelines," DeLeye said in the article. After having surgery in January, DeLeye completed her rehabilitation and is pain-free for the first time in months. She noted the relief during recent vertical testing: "I remember doing vertical testing and I jumped and landed and didn't feel pain for the first time in six months. I was like, wow, that's what it feels like." Her performance last season while injured was remarkable. DeLeye recorded 545 kills and a .279 hitting percentage, finishing second on the team and helping lead the Wildcats to [a ninth consecutive SEC title and the program's second appearance in the NCAA Final Four](https://ukathletics.com/news/2025/12/21/disappointing-finish-does-not-diminish-cats-2025-season/). She was named first-team All-SEC and an AVCA All-American. Kentucky [won the first SEC Tournament title in 20 years](https://www.ncaa.com/news/volleyball-women/article/2025-11-26/kentucky-volleyball-reverse-sweeps-texas-3-2-clinch-sec-title), defeating Texas in a dramatic reverse sweep. This offseason, [DeLeye was selected to the Preseason All-SEC team](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/07/29/kentucky-picked-by-coaches-to-win-sec-five-on-all-sec-team/), one of five Wildcats honored. The team is [predicted by SEC coaches to win the league championship for the 10th consecutive year](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/07/29/kentucky-picked-by-coaches-to-win-sec-five-on-all-sec-team/). DeLeye emphasized that her time away from the court deepened her appreciation for the game. "Once I dealt with the injury, I actually found my love for the game again," she said. ## Sources - [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/08/19/healthy-deleye-ready-for-senior-season/) - [UK Athletics article on 2025 season recap](https://ukathletics.com/news/2025/12/21/disappointing-finish-does-not-diminish-cats-2025-season/) - [NCAA.com coverage of Kentucky's SEC Tournament victory](https://www.ncaa.com/news/volleyball-women/article/2025-11-26/kentucky-volleyball-reverse-sweeps-texas-3-2-clinch-sec-title) - [UK Athletics preseason SEC predictions](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/07/29/kentucky-picked-by-coaches-to-win-sec-five-on-all-sec-team/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from UK Athletics, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/08/19/healthy-deleye-ready-for-senior-season/.