# Tuozzo Earns SEC Player of the Week Honors After Wrigley Victory **Published:** 2026-09-07T19:59:49.000Z **Source:** [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/07/molly-tuozzo-named-sec-player-of-the-week-deleye-obrien-also-honored/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/tuozzo-earns-sec-player-of-the-week-honors-after-wrigley-victory LEXINGTON, Ky. — Senior libero Molly Tuozzo was named the Southeastern Conference's Volleyball Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, marking her first overall conference player of the week honor in her college career. The distinction came on the heels of [Kentucky's 2-0 week that included a historic victory over No. 13 Penn State at Wrigley Field](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/06/no-3-kentucky-volleyball-wins-over-penn-state-at-wrigley-field-in-four-sets/), where the Wildcats competed in front of over 43,000 fans in the inaugural [Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/07/molly-tuozzo-named-sec-player-of-the-week-deleye-obrien-also-honored/). Tuozzo collected her eighth SEC Defensive Player of the Week award and was joined by teammates Kassie O'Brien and Brooklyn DeLeye in earning conference accolades. O'Brien, a sophomore setter, won SEC Setter of the Week, while DeLeye, a senior outside hitter, was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week. The 5-foot-8 defensive specialist averaged five digs per set during the week, setting a new season high with 19 digs against Penn State on September 6 at Wrigley Field. Tuozzo also recorded 16 digs against UCLA on Wednesday night and posted six assists out of system against the Nittany Lions. Her defensive efforts helped hold Kentucky's opponents to a .192 hitting percentage, with the opposition averaging three fewer kills per set than the Wildcats. O'Brien ran the Kentucky offense to a .308 hitting percentage, averaging 13 assists per set. The sophomore setter dished out a season-high 48 assists against Penn State and 43 assists in a three-set sweep of UCLA, while adding four blocks and three aces for the week. DeLeye guided Kentucky with 5.14 kills per set, highlighted by a season-high 21 kills against Penn State in which she also recorded her first double-double of the year with 10 digs. The Topeka, Kansas native hit .329 with only 10 errors on 79 swings during the week. Tuozzo, a [Preseason All-SEC honoree](https://www.lex18.com/sports/bbn-tonight/kentucky-picked-to-win-sec-volleyball-title-again-five-wildcats-earn-preseason-all-sec-honors), enters her senior season with 61 career matches of 10 or more digs, the most among active SEC players. The Wildcats, ranked No. 3 in the nation, host North Carolina in the ACC-SEC Challenge later this week. ## Sources - [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/07/molly-tuozzo-named-sec-player-of-the-week-deleye-obrien-also-honored/) - [Kentucky's historic victory over Penn State at Wrigley Field](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/06/no-3-kentucky-walks-off-no-13-penn-state-at-wrigley-field-in-four-sets/) --- 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/2026/09/07/molly-tuozzo-named-sec-player-of-the-week-deleye-obrien-also-honored/.