# @sec on YouTube

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://youtube.com/watch?v=6QTjq2iPgQA
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69963316-sec-youtube
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/99e55e188a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-01T21:52:07.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Southeastern Conference (@SEC) — https://gondola.cc/SEC

## Caption

Utah State 0, Kentucky 3
Historic Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, KY. August 28, 2026

3rd-ranked Kentucky bounced back from an earlier loss to 4th-ranked Pittsburgh with a clean sweep of Utah State, winning 25-13, 25-14, 25-17 in the home opener at the Bluegrass Battle.

Utah State's outside hitter Sami Blackett put the Aggies on the board early with a kill, but Kentucky quickly seized control of the first set with an 8-3 run and never looked back, hitting a blistering .696 in the frame en route to a 25-13 win. It was a tough spot for Utah State, playing its first match under new head coach Keith Smith, with 12 new players replacing every starter from last year's Mountain West regular-season and tournament championship squad.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with USU answering several early Kentucky points before the Wildcats pulled away with an 11-3 run. Ava Nakai and Olivia Ruy each added kills for Utah State during a late 5-3 stretch, but Kentucky closed it out 25-14 to take a 2-0 lead. Kentucky again jumped out to an early lead in the third set, building a cushion as large as six points. Utah State battled back with a five-point run, cutting the deficit to one at 17-16 behind kills from Ruy and Ava Napierski, but Kentucky answered with another run to close out the match, 25-17.

Kentucky's Brooklyn DeLeye and Lizzie Carr were the standout performers for the Wildcats, and Kennedy Washington anchored the defense with four blocks to slow the Aggies' attack. Freshman Sidney Burley also saw meaningful minutes in her Kentucky debut. Head coach Craig Skinner praised his team's response after Sunday's loss to Pitt, saying comfort is the enemy of great, and noting there was nothing comfortable about facing an unpredictable, freshly reshaped Utah State roster.

The win improved Kentucky to 2-1 on the season, while Utah State fell to 0-1 in Smith's debut. Kentucky continued the Bluegrass Battle the next day against South Florida, while Utah State also stayed in Lexington to face Eastern Kentucky.

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## Stats

- **Views:** 304
- **Likes:** 3
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 0

## Tags

ncaavolleyball, sec, collegevolleyball, kentuckywildcats, secvolleyball, secnetwork, highlights

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