Kentucky Volleyball added its third win over a ranked opponent on Wednesday, Sept. 9, sweeping the No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels at Historic Memorial Coliseum (25-11, 25-19, 25-18).

The Wildcats’ fifth sweep of the season began with a first set that was dominated by its outside hitters, 6-foot-2 senior Brooklyn DeLeye and 6-foot-5 junior Morgan Gaerte. At the point of North Carolina’s first timeout, with Kentucky leading 13-7, DeLeye and Gaerte had already combined for seven kills; DeLeye with three, Gaerte with four.

Finishing the match with a team-high 17 kills, Gaerte spoke highly of DeLeye and how she has been able to feed off the energy she brings every day.

“I think we both support each other no matter what,” Gaerte said. “I think in practice, if i see (DeLeye) have an amazing hit, I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m going to get after it.’”

Out of the timeout, North Carolina quickly took advantage of two unforced Kentucky errors, scoring on a service error and an illegal attack before a four-point run by the Wildcats. They set the stage by taking the first set, finishing on a 12-2 run.

In a much more competitive second set, the Tar Heels and Wildcats went back and forth, as the set was tied at 17-17 before another Kentucky run, this time in 8-2 fashion, ending the second set. Completing the sweep on a North Carolina service fault, the Wildcats moved to 6-1.

As the Wildcats have faced a grueling non-conference schedule with potential for three ranked matchups before conference play, Craig Skinner was adamant about the importance of his team never falling below a championship level while competing amongst the nation’s best.

“We’ve gotta take care of our bodies,” Skinner said. “We’ve got to be proactive…we try and have daily championship standards.”

The No. 3 ranked Wildcats will now head to the Bahamas this weekend for the 2026 Paradise Invitational, taking on No. 8 SMU on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. ET and No. 14 Purdue/Houston on Sunday, Sept. 13, with a start time still TBD.

Kentucky Athletics adds to its team with new Executive Deputy Athletics Director and Deputy CEO of Champions Blue, Jon Palumbo.

Palumbo comes from Michigan State’s Spartan Ventures, an organization similar to Kentucky’s Champions Blue. The organization serves Kentucky Athletics’ business and strategic agenda by focusing on growing revenue, supporting student-athletes, and helping the department navigate the changing landscape of college athletics. His decades of experience will be important to the UK team during a transformative era in collegiate athletics and the NIL era.

“Jon is one of the most respected leaders in our industry and someone I trust deeply. He brings a unique combination of strategic vision, operational excellence and experience leading athletic departments at the highest level, ” new Kentucky Athletic Director and Champions Blue CEO, J Batt, stated.

Batt and Palumbo previously worked together at Michigan State and Georgia Tech, where they both shared their commitment to the growth of student-athlete success. Their shared experience will aid the pair as they build on Kentucky Athletics’ momentum.

Prior to his time at Georgia Tech, Palumbo was the Athletic Director at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi from 2018-22. In his final season, the Islanders won a school-record seven Southland Conference championships.

In his role, Palumbo will advance the growth of Champions Blue, the department’s strategic priorities, and oversee strategic business initiatives as a key member of the leadership team. His experience in the field will be vital for the growth of Champions Blue.

Palumbo will begin to serve in his role on September 18th

Kentucky Volleyball head coach Craig Skinner has had a rather remarkable career thus far at the University of Kentucky. On Aug. 29, Skinner achieved his 500th win in his career with the Wildcats after a sweeping victory against South Florida.

Skinner’s 500th win came after his fourth match of his 22nd season as head coach. In his career, he has tallied a National Championship, SEC Tournament Championship and nine consecutive SEC regular season championships. Just recently, Skinner appeared in the National Championship in 2025, where the Wildcats fell to Texas A&M.

After falling short last year, the next accomplishment for Skinner is to win his second golden trophy. With many of last year’s key players returning, Skinner certainly has the skillset to win big. The Wildcats’ main returnee is Brooklyn DeLeye, a senior outside hitter and a 2025 All-American. Without last year’s star, Eva Hudson, this year’s offensive will rely of DeLeye’s powerful attacks.

She is not the only big name on this year’s roster, though. This roster includes 2025 Freshman of the Year Kassie O’Brien and returning role players Molly Tuozzo and Lizzie Carr, sister of former Kentucky Basketball player Andrew Carr.

As a whole, the 2026 Wildcats and Coach Skinner have the depth, experience, and drive to have another historical season, with a tough stretch approaching.

Over the next week, they will travel over 1,500 miles, going from Chicago, Illinois to back to Lexington, Kentucky, just to up and leave for the Bahamas a few days later.

Playing three ranked teams in this span, the results will be a key indicator for fans curious if Skinner can once again take his team to the promised land.