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Kentucky’s Kassie O’Brien Passes 2,000 Career Assists, Sweeps SEC Player and Setter of the Week Honors

Kentucky sophomore Kassie O’Brien swept SEC Player and Setter of the Week honors, recording her 2,000th career assist during a 91-assist weekend that kept the Wildcats second in the SEC.

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Kentucky setter Kassie O'Brien (6) sets the ball during a Wildcats volleyball match.

Kentucky’s offense runs through Kassie O’Brien, and this week the sophomore from Katy, Texas, ran it all the way into the record book.

O’Brien swept the SEC’s weekly honors presented by Allstate, earning both SEC Player of the Week and SEC Setter of the Week after directing the Wildcats to a pair of road wins. She averaged 13.00 assists per set as Kentucky hit .344 as a team for the weekend, handing out 50 assists in Friday’s four-set win at Oklahoma and 41 more in Sunday’s sweep at Arkansas.

The milestone arrived early in the Oklahoma match: O’Brien’s 17th assist of the night was the 2,000th of her career. Behind her setting, Kentucky hit better than .300 in back-to-back matches for the first time this season, in conference play or out of it.

On the season, O’Brien leads the SEC at 11.62 assists per set with 802 total assists, and her distribution fuels one of the league’s most dangerous scorers — Brooklyn DeLeye, who ranks third in the conference at 5.27 points per set.

The Wildcats’ week did not end in celebration: Tennessee outlasted them in five sets on Wednesday night. But the response opportunity comes fast. Kentucky (7-2 SEC, 15-4 overall), unbeaten at home this season at 8-0, hosts Texas A&M on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in the SEC’s ABC showcase match — a national stage, and a chance for O’Brien and the Wildcats to state their case all over again.

Statistics via the SEC through matches of October 23.

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Sunday in the SEC: Texas A&M at Kentucky on ABC Headlines a Slate Built to Break the Logjam

All eight SEC volleyball matches set for Sunday, October 25: Texas A&M at Kentucky on ABC, Florida defending first place, and the Vanderbilt-Tennessee clash of six-match win streaks.

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October 24, 2026

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A Kentucky Wildcats volleyball player attacks at the net.

Eight matches, one national broadcast window, and a standings logjam that cannot survive the day. Sunday, October 25 is the biggest day of the SEC volleyball season so far. (All times Eastern.)

The headliner: Texas A&M at Kentucky, 1 p.m. ET, ABC

Kentucky (7-2 SEC, 15-4 overall) gets the league’s ABC showcase at home, where the Wildcats are 8-0 this season. Kentucky is answering Wednesday’s five-set loss at Tennessee, and it brings the SEC’s top setter — Kassie O’Brien, at 11.62 assists per set and fresh off her 2,000th career assist — feeding Brooklyn DeLeye, who just became Kentucky’s all-time aces leader. Texas A&M (5-3, 12-8) walks in with momentum after Friday’s 3-1 win at Georgia, powered by Kyndal Stowers (4.36 kills per set) and Eliza Sharp, whose 1.35 blocks per set lead the SEC.

Florida defends the top spot: Ole Miss at Florida, 1 p.m. ET, SECN+

The Gators (7-1, 16-2) sit alone in first place and own the SEC’s stingiest defense, holding opponents to a.161 hitting percentage. Ole Miss (2-6) has dropped six straight, but Florida — 8-0 at home — has made a habit of closing the door early.

The 6-2 clash: Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 1 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Something has to give in Knoxville. Both Vanderbilt (6-2, 15-2) and Tennessee (6-2, 15-3) ride six-match win streaks, and both sit in a three-team tie for third with Georgia. Vanderbilt owns the league’s best team hitting percentage at.303; Tennessee just proved its five-set toughness against Kentucky. The winner strengthens its grip near the top — and keeps Florida in sight.

Missouri at Georgia, 2 p.m. ET, SECN+

Georgia (6-2, 14-4) needs a hold at home behind Bianna Muoneke, the SEC’s kills and points leader, who joined the Bulldogs’ 1,000-Kill Club last weekend. Missouri (5-3, 12-8) has won four straight and can tighten the middle of the table with a road upset.

The rest of the slate

Texas at South Carolina (1 p.m. ET, SECN+): the Longhorns (5-3, 9-7) look to steady themselves on the road against a South Carolina team (2-7, 9-10) fighting for footing. LSU at Auburn (3 p.m. ET, SECN+), Oklahoma at Alabama (3 p.m. ET, SECN+) and Arkansas at Mississippi State (3 p.m. ET, SECN+) round out the day — with Mississippi State (4-4, 14-5), the SEC’s top digging team at 15.63 digs per set, unbeaten at home in SEC play and looking to protect its floor.

By Sunday night, Florida’s challengers will have sorted themselves out — or tangled further. Either way, the road to the SEC’s top seed runs straight through this slate.

Schedule and statistics via the SEC through matches of October 23.

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