UK commit Brooklyn DeLeye leads Washburn Rural on unbeaten run
TOPEKA, Kan. (BVM) 鈥�聽 The undefeated Washburn Rural Blues are the No. 1-ranked Class 6A volleyball team in the state of Kansas. They鈥檙e also considered to be one of the best high school volleyball teams in .听
It takes more than one player for a team to earn such a status, but Washburn Rural wouldn鈥檛 be one of the nation鈥檚 top teams without Brooklyn DeLeye, who鈥檚 in the state. The Blues鈥� 6-foot-2 star outside hitter, though only a junior, is already a two-time all-state selection who had over 1,000 career kills by the end of her sophomore season and she鈥檚 verbally committed to one of the best college volleyball programs in the country: the defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats.
It鈥檚 not exactly common for an athlete to be so accomplished through only two years of high school, but one has to look beyond DeLeye鈥檚 impressive resume to find out what truly makes her unique.
鈥淪he鈥檚 the only volleyball player I鈥檝e ever had who comes in before a big match and has a detailed, three-or-four-page scouting report on the opponent that we鈥檙e playing,鈥� said Kevin Bordewick, who鈥檚 in his 27th year as Washburn Rural鈥檚 head volleyball coach. 鈥淪he really thinks about the game; she tries to improve in some area every day with her game. She鈥檚 a great teammate and she鈥檚 a very humble kid. She鈥檚 just what you would want your own daughter to be.鈥�
DeLeye could鈥檝e had a promising college career ahead of her in a different sport if she wanted. She鈥檚 been playing soccer since she was 4 years old and she鈥檚 also an all-state basketball player for the Blues. But nothing grabbed ahold of her quite the way volleyball did, and her older sister Macy, who now plays Division I volleyball at Drake University, played a role in that.
鈥淔or the longest time my favorite sport was soccer,鈥� Brooklyn said. 鈥淚 always grew up around soccer and basketball. Once I started playing volleyball, which my sister introduced me to when I was 9, right when I touched a ball I just knew — this is just a different thing for me. I loved practices, I loved games and I really couldn鈥檛 see myself playing anything else in college.鈥�
And despite having plenty of options, Kentucky became the only college that Brooklyn could see herself playing for after she attended the Wildcats鈥� camp in July. The fact that UK can put a top-notch team on the court to compete for a national title is certainly intriguing for any recruit, but more important for Brooklyn was the fact that no other program made her feel as cared for on a personal level.
鈥淒uring the whole recruitment process, everybody was kind of talking to me about volleyball, obviously, because that鈥檚 what I would be going for, but what kind of stuck with me was Kentucky really cared about who I was as a person and what my morals are,鈥� Brooklyn said. 鈥淭hey really value their culture there so they obviously want top-notch athletes, but they also want great people as well. Other places just really wanted me for my volleyball skill, but they really cared for me as a person as well.鈥�
With the next chapter of her volleyball career in Lexington nearly two years down the road, there鈥檚 still plenty of time for Brooklyn to accomplish a lot more while at Washburn Rural. She鈥檚 on her way to another 500-kill season this fall and she鈥檚 on pace to eventually break the school鈥檚 all-time record for kills. But individual accomplishments aside, a state title would mean more to Brooklyn, who helped lead the Blues to a 6A state runner-up finish in 2019 — as one of four starting freshmen — and a third-place finish last year.听
鈥淓ver since (freshman year) we鈥檝e improved,鈥� Brooklyn said. 鈥淭his year we basically have the same team as last year and we鈥檝e grown even more as a team and just have been connecting and our team chemistry has been really great so that has really played a key role.鈥�
That chemistry has led to a perfect season thus far for the Blues, who head into this weekend鈥檚 sub-state tournament with a 36-0 record and a No. 1 seed. An unblemished record coupled with the fact that they鈥檙e teams in the country will undoubtedly put a big target on Washburn Rural鈥檚 back, but Brooklyn is ready to prove that the Blues deserve to be held in such high regard.
鈥淵es it has a lot of pressure to it but we just know we worked so hard for that name for ourselves,鈥� Brooklyn said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just going to keep doing what we鈥檙e doing and take one game at a time and hopefully reach that end goal at the end of the season.鈥�
