# Wildcats sweep UCLA to keep Big Ten/SEC Challenge push alive **Published:** 2026-09-03T01:41:12.000Z **Source:** [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/02/seven-aces-propel-no-3-kentucky-past-ucla-in-third-straight-sweep/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/wildcats-sweep-ucla-to-keep-big-ten-sec-challenge-push-alive LEXINGTON, Ky. — [No. 3 Kentucky volleyball dominated UCLA on Wednesday, sweeping the Bruins 25-13, 25-18, 25-23](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/02/seven-aces-propel-no-3-kentucky-past-ucla-in-third-straight-sweep/) in [the inaugural Allstate Big Ten/SEC Challenge](https://bigten.org/wvb/article/60286/) at Historic Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats' victory marked their third consecutive sweep of the season and their fourth win in five matches. Kentucky's dominant performance was highlighted by seven aces and a team hitting percentage of .346, nearly 100 points higher than UCLA's offensive efficiency for the match. [Morgan Gaerte](https://ukathletics.com/sports/wvball/roster/player/morgan-gaerte/), the Kentucky transfer from Notre Dame, led all players with 16 kills on just 33 swings for a .364 hitting average. Brooklyn DeLeye added 15 kills while Asia Thigpen chipped in 10 terminations from the left side. Setter Kassie O'Brien recorded a season-high 43 assists as Kentucky tallied 51 team kills. On the defensive end, libero Molly Tuozzo posted a match-high 16 digs as Kentucky held UCLA to a hitting percentage under .250 in all three sets. Tuozzo, a preseason All-SEC selection, just missed recording a double-double. The win gives the SEC a crucial point in the inaugural [Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week, which runs through Sept. 6](https://volleyballmag.com/big-ten-and-sec-launch-first-ever-challenge-week-ending-with-volleyball/). Kentucky will face [No. 13 Penn State on Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago](https://www.ncaa.com/news/volleyball-women/article/2026-09-01/big-ten/sec-volleyball-challenge-week-schedule-matchups-tv-channels), marking the first time volleyball has been played at the historic baseball venue. ## Sources - [UK Athletics](https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/02/seven-aces-propel-no-3-kentucky-past-ucla-in-third-straight-sweep/) - [Big Ten official 2026 Challenge Week standings](https://bigten.org/wvb/article/60286/) - [Morgan Gaerte roster page](https://ukathletics.com/sports/wvball/roster/player/morgan-gaerte/) - [Volleyballmag coverage of inaugural Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week](https://volleyballmag.com/big-ten-and-sec-launch-first-ever-challenge-week-ending-with-volleyball/) - [NCAA.com schedule for Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week](https://www.ncaa.com/news/volleyball-women/article/2026-09-01/big-ten/sec-volleyball-challenge-week-schedule-matchups-tv-channels) --- 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/2026/09/02/seven-aces-propel-no-3-kentucky-past-ucla-in-third-straight-sweep/.