Kaitlyn Nguyen, UW's first-year libero, tied a 2008 match record

Seattle Fitness Magazine · 27 Sep 2026

• 26digs in three sets
• 206digs in 15 matches

Back row only

At Washington this season, the libero is Kaitlyn Nguyen, a 5-4 first-year from Bellevue High School.

By NCAA rule the position is a back-row job: she cannot block or attempt to block, and she cannot complete an attack-hit on a ball entirely above the top of the net. The work is passing serve and digging attacks. Her number is 23.

Volleyball Adrenaline ranked her the second-best libero in the national class of 2026, and PrepDig had her as Washington state's top-ranked libero. Bellevue High took fourth at state in 2025 with her at libero. KingCo 3A named her MVP twice.

From Bellevue to Montlake

Bellevue High is just across Lake Washington.

In UW's feature on its six first-years, she had the shortest trek to Montlake. She was born in Seattle, and her older brother, Connor, graduated from UW in 2026. On her roster page she explains the choice: "Ever since attending the UW camps when I was eight years old, I've loved being around the coaches and team who provide a welcoming yet competitive environment where I feel supported."

She is a biochemistry major. She arrived as an academic junior. Her club volleyball ran through North Pacific Juniors Forefront in Salem, Oregon, which finished second at the 18 Open Nationals in 2026. The jump from there to the Big Ten, she told UW's site on Sept. 22, is "the pace and how big the girls are." She added, with a grin, that the adjustment is getting used to it and resetting fast.

Twenty-six digs, a mark from 2008

Nguyen had 26 digs on Sept. 19 as Washington swept South Dakota in Sioux Falls.

That tied UW's record for digs in a three-set match in the 25-point era, set in 2008 by Tama Miyashiro, whom UW's recap calls an All-American. Her digs came seven in the first set, ten in the second and nine in the third, in 25-19, 26-24 and 25-17 wins at the Sanford Pentagon. It was her ninth match. The win made Washington 9-0 and finished an undefeated non-conference schedule.

Every set, with assists and aces

Through Oct. 11, Nguyen had been on the court for all 53 of Washington's sets.

She also had 14 aces, fourth on the team, and 79 assists, second only to setter Andrea Fabikovicová's 516. Her 15 digs and 11 assists against Ole Miss on Sept. 3 made what UW's bio calls a rare libero double-double. She debuted on Aug. 28 with 15 digs and three aces against UC Irvine.

At Michigan on Sept. 27 she had nine digs, an ace and 10 assists in a 3-0 sweep, Washington's first win over Michigan since 2010. Teammate Julia Hunt said in a team post that day: "Kaitlyn's in the back diming every ball." Head coach Leslie Gabriel, speaking to UW's site on Sept. 22, called starting as a freshman "really hard to do" and singled out the class's volleyball IQ.

Sixteen digs in a sweep of Purdue

Nguyen's 16 digs led Washington in its Oct. 4 sweep of No. 10 Purdue at Alaska Airlines Arena.

It was her best total since the tie. The 22nd-ranked Huskies won 25-20, 25-16, 25-16 before 3,419 fans, two days after Illinois handed them their first loss of the season, and UW's recap called it their first sweep of a top-10 team since 2020.

The Huskies won 3-0 at Ohio State in Columbus on Oct. 9 and lost 3-0 at Penn State's Rec Hall on Oct. 11, with Nguyen at 13 and 11 digs. Through that Penn State match, her 15th, she had 206 digs in 53 sets, the team high, with Simona Mateska next at 153. That left Washington 13-2. Washington hosted Rutgers for Denim & Dawgs Night on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m., and Indiana for Huskies For A Cure on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. Both stream on B1G+.

Update

This article was updated on October 12, 2026.

The September 27 version said Nguyen "just" tied the record, gave Washington's record as 11-0, called her 138 digs through nine matches the only triple-digit total on the roster, and previewed the October 4 match with Purdue.

Washington is now 13-2, Nguyen has 206 digs through 15 matches while three teammates also top 100, and the section above reports the Purdue match. UW's roster bio still lists her 26 digs as a tie of the 2008 record.