Wildcats Shine in Spring Game vs. Xavier

It's hard to believe, but we have officially reached the start of spring ball in the Bluegrass. And if Thursday night's exhibition match against Xavier was any indication, it appears that Kentucky volleyball fans are once again going to have a lot to be excited about come the fall.

While they only lost one Wildcat due to graduation at the end of the season last year in Eva Hudson, UK head coach Craig Skinner and the rest of the Wildcats have had a busy offseason in the portal. Three Wildcats entered the transfer portal - Ava Sarafa, Brooke Bultema, and Jordyn Dailey - to find new places to call home for the 2026 season, and Kentucky welcomed two incoming transfers in Morgan Gaerte and Brynn Covell. Add them to a freshman class featuring five newcomers, and there will be plenty of new faces on the sidelines for the Cats once August rolls around. But before we turn our heads to speculation about the 2026 season, let's take a look at some key observations from the Cats' first spring match of the season and the subsequent debuts of some of Kentucky's newest Wildcats. 

Morgan Gaerte is as Good as Advertised... And Then Some

While the Cats only lost one starter from a team that finished the season as runners-up, replacing the offensive production generated by Eva Hudson was always going to be a tall order. And with Brooklyn DeLeye preparing to embark on her final season in Lexington as a senior, Skinner and company needed a strong replacement if they wanted to return to the Final Four. Enter Morgan Gaerte. A 6'5" pin who spent the last two seasons playing at Notre Dame, Gaerte was named First Team All-ACC after her sophomore campaign and finished the season averaging a monster 4.64 kills per set for the Irish. Gaerte totaled 497 kills last year, the most by any Notre Dame player in the rally-scoring era. 

With a resume as impressive as that one, it was clear, at least on paper, that Gaerte had the offensive numbers that could complement DeLeye's arm beautifully. And that arm was on full display Thursday night as Gaerte found the floor with 12 kills on a sweltering .500 clip through just two sets of play. The most exciting part of Gaerte's addition, however, comes from the fact that she's hitting on the right pin, not the left. As a result, her kills are coming from behind the setter, both at the net and out of the back row on the D-ball, a set that is most common in the pro game. While last year, at times, Kentucky fans saw opposing defenses cheating to the left in an effort to defend Hudson and DeLeye, Gaerte's position on the other side of the net means that opposing blocks can't cheat one way or the other. If they do, they'll be leaving one of two of the most dynamic hitters in the country in a one-on-one situation. And when you consider their size, skill, and the fact that both DeLeye and Gaerte are upperclassmen, that will likely end poorly for the opposing team more often than not. While sophomore Asia Thigpen did a tremendous job learning how to play on the right side last season, it still felt at times that the Cats didn't generate enough offense behind the setter to truly stress the block. That problem will be a thing of the past next season, as Gaerte appears to be exactly the answer Kentucky fans were looking for as a powerful complement to Brooklyn DeLeye

Kentucky Has Another Starter Battle on its Hands

We spent the bulk of the offseason last year trying to determine who would take the court in several different key positions on the floor, especially at setter and middle. With the Cats returning their stars in each of those positions, Kentucky can focus more on solidifying and improving connections with more consistent lineups. But with Hudson gone and Gaerte playing on the right, Kentucky now has another outside spot available to play opposite DeLeye- and it's going to be a battle to see who ends up taking it.

The early frontrunner will likely be junior Asia Thigpen, who can slide back on the left pin in her natural position after playing last year on the right. And to her credit, Thigpen was excellent Thursday, finishing with a match-high 14 kills on a .290 clip with three digs and two blocks. Since she stepped foot on campus, Thigpen has been widely regarded as one of the heaviest arms in the gym, a trend that is most certainly still true today. 

But don't overlook one of Kentucky's newest Wildcats, Bellamie Beus, either. While undersized as an outside at 5'10, Beus has a dynamic arm and an athletic approach that was on full display against the Musketeers. While she didn't start the match, Beus saw plenty of action with DeLeye out still recovering from her earlier MCL surgery. Beus finished the night with 10 kills on a .227 clip. But perhaps even more impressive than her stats in the boxscore was her demeanor and leadership on the court. Despite being just a freshman, Beus was loud all night long, regularly communicating with her teammates in serve receive and doing an excellent job at communicating the set she wanted from Kassie O'Brien in transition. Her competitive spirit isn't unlike that of Hudson, who won fans over through the fire and intensity she played with during every point played on the court. Beus demonstrated a lot of that competitive energy, regularly clapping with teammates and roaring after intense points. Do not be surprised if Beus finds her way on the court this fall. And if she does, I wouldn't be surprised if she finds herself in the running for SEC Freshman of the Year, either.

Kentucky will be Fine in the Middle

Thanks to a minor injury to Lizzie Carr, the Cats only had one rostered middle blocker Thursday night in Kennedy Washington. And with freshman middle blocker Gracison Saylors not scheduled to arrive on campus until the summer and the aforementioned Bultema no longer with the program after her transfer, it was up to Washington to hold down the fort for the Cats out of the middle. While she certainly wore down at the end after having to play all six rotations for two-straight hours, Washington continued to demonstrate that she is more than ready to handle being a starter on a contending team. 

While she doesn't possess the fiery personality of someone like Hudson, Washington has continued to improve on the offensive end and was one of four Wildcats to eclipse double figures on the evening. It was clear that she and O'Brien had been working to iron out their connection in the offseason, and Kassie made an intentional effort to get Washington the ball as often as she could. While there were still several sets that were too low to the net for Washington to get a full swing on, when the connection landed, it was a thing of beauty. Washington had several eye-opening hammers that drew big cheers from her teammates and coaches. Add that offensive development to the fact that she also picked up a match-high five rejections on the evening, and it's clear that Washington appears ready to shoulder more responsibility. 

Bultema's departure certainly hurts the Cats from a depth standpoint, especially when the team she transferred to turned out to be the school's biggest rival in Louisville. But Washington got the starting nod for much of last season because of her blocking and defensive ability, combined with the raw offensive potential that she possesses as a faster middle blocker. If her offensive game continues to improve like this, there is absolutely no reason to believe that she can't become another excellent middle under Craig Skinner.

There are still plenty of questions surrounding next year's Kentucky team, especially considering the fact that we didn't even get to see two of the six starters take the court Thursday. But the first match of spring play proved that the Cats can be way more than simply a good team next year- they can contend for a title. 

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Hunter Mitchell

March 6, 2026