Fly the W: Kentucky volleyball wins in Wrigley, 3-1 vs. Penn State

CHICAGO — The Cubs may take you out to the ballgame, but the Wildcats will bring you to the winner's circle. From the Bluegrass state to the Windy City, under some of the sport's brightest lights to date, the Kentucky volleyball program showed the nation it belongs on the biggest stage. Again.

No. 3 UK handled No. 13 Penn State 3-1 Sunday evening (25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 25-15), defeating the Nittany Lions for the second-straight year.

This year's rematch looked vastly different from last season's contest in State College, as the 2026 edition brought both programs to the sport's first-ever match in the home of the Chicago Cubs. The Cats and the Nittany Lions performed for a red-soaked stadium, playing in the evening's Big Ten-SEC Challenge early game; Nebraska faced Missouri in the night cap, in front of heavy Cornhusker crowd.

The Cats claimed the first two sets before dropping the third and sealing the deal in the fourth.

Senior outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye led Kentucky's offensive attack, collecting 21 kills through the four-set win. Juniors Morgan Gaerte and Asia Thigpen joined her in double-figures, adding 15 and 12 terminations, respectively. Sophomore setter Kassie O'Brien recorded 48 assists, pacing the Cats to a .281 hitting percentage amidst the outdoor elements, while senior libero Molly Tuzzo dug a match-high 19 balls out of the back row.

The Wildcats scored the first point of the historic match, taking a 1-0 advantage on the way to a set one win. A back-and-forth affair, the Cats trailed by as many as three points in the set's final stretch, 19-16, but rallied for the first come-from-behind victory of the evening.

DeLeye had the team's final two kills to secure the opener, 25-23.

After swapping sides of the net, the Cats picked up right where they left off in the second frame. Gaerte delivered the first kill of the second set, but Penn State turned defense to offense for a 7-2 run to take an early lead, 8-5.

Again, the Cats rallied, ripping off a 6-1 run of their own to retake the lead, 11-9. Kentucky's lead ballooned as large as five, 23-18, before a 3-point Nittany Lions run threatened. Ultimately, UK prevailed to take the second frame, 25-21.

Following a quick trip to the dugouts, the teams returned to the field-turned-court, where the Cats let off the gas in the back half of the set. With a 19-15 lead, the Cats were six points shy of a sweep. Instead, the Nittany Lions dug deep for a momentum shifter, scoring ten of the set's final 14 points. Penn State stole third, 25-23.

The Cats rounded home in the fourth, cruising to a decisive win, 25-15, while hitting their best percentage of the night, .485. Illinois native and long-time Cubs fan Georgia Watson recorded two kills on the night, including the match-winning termination.

Kentucky will return to the Commonwealth for another high-stakes, albeit indoor, match this week. The Wildcats will leave the Big Ten in the past, at least for now, as they shift to an SEC-ACC Challenge meeting against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

First serve is set for Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m., with coverage on the SEC Network.

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