LEXINGTON, Ky. — The honors continue to pile up for No. 3 Kentucky volleyball, as two Wildcats combined for a trio of SEC weekly honors following the first week of league play. Senior middle blocker Lizzie Carr is the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week, while sophomore setter Kassie O'Brien picked up the league's Setter of the Week nod.
The recognition comes after a 2-0 start to SEC play, with the Cats collecting a road victory against Vanderbilt in the program's first-ever trip to Memorial Gymnasium, followed by a home win over No. 7 Texas, in front of the team's largest home crowd of the season thus far.
Carr had seven blocks against the Commodores on Wednesday and five more against the Longhorns on Sunday, marking 1.71 blocks per set for the week. The second-year Cat stuffed a total of 12 balls as she helped Kentucky hold its opponents to a .234 hitting percentage across the two matches; UK outblocked its opponents, 32-18 on the weekend, paced by Carr’s threat.
Offensively, Carr hit .467 for the week, with 16 total kills and only two errors.
This is the first SEC weekly nod for Carr throughout her Kentucky career.
🏐 Defensive Player of the Week | Sept. 28
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 28, 2026
😸 Lizzie Carr, @KentuckyVB #SECVB | presented by Allstate pic.twitter.com/Wk7dYHHMpr
Pacing the offense, O’Brien put together her third 50+ assist match of the season Wednesday night to open SEC play. As a team, UK hit .444, good for its highest percentage in a four-set match in over two years.
Three days later, she steered the ship to a sweep of No. 7 Texas without All-American right side starter Morgan Gaerte, who was unavailable for Sunday's action due to an eye injury. She is still considered day-to-day.
In Gaerte's absence, O'Brien was able to find new weapons to unleash against the Longhorns. Her 37 assists against Texas put her week-long average at 13.00 assists per set.
Kentucky plays two matches on the road this weekend, first facing Auburn Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.
The Cats will add another ranked test to their resume on Sunday, with a showdown at No. 7 Florida at 8:30 p.m. ET in Gainesville. The Cats and the Gators will be shown live on ESPN, as part of the network's "Women's Sports Sunday" feature.
For more on Kentucky volleyball and all of the Wildcats, join us on BBN Tonight, airing weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18.
