Female Volleyball Players Of The Week And All-Tournament Volleyball Teams Named This Weekend Oct 7
Oct. 11 Conference USA Volleyball Players of the Week
With an NCAA record 45 kills Tulsa's Tyler Henderson was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week.
IRVING, Texas - Sophomore Tyler Henderson of Tulsa has been awarded Conference USA Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, while UTEP junior Stephanie Figueroa picks up her second Defensive Player of the Week accolade in the past three weeks. Sharing Setter of the Week honors is Houston's Amber Brooks and Kelli Becerra of SMU.
Henderson averaged 7.91 kills and 8.59 points per set, and hit .428 in Tulsa's three C-USA wins last week. She started the week off by establishing an NCAA single-match record of 45 kills (9.0 k/s), in the 25-point era, at SMU Wednesday. Those 45 kills mark the ninth-most overall in NCAA history, set a Tulsa school record and tied the C-USA overall and conference only single-match record.
Complete Release: http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/101110aab.html
Tiffany Owens Named Pac-10 Volleyball Player of the Week
Sept. 20 - Jenna Hagglund, Washington
Sept. 27 - Alaina Bergsma, Oregon
Oct. 4 - Tarah Murrey, California
Oct. 11 – Tiffany Owens, Arizona
The senior outside hitter recorded 55 kills and 46 digs in wins against Oregon State and No. 13 Oregon this past weekend
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – University of Arizona senior outside hitter Tiffany Owens has been named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for Oct. 4-10, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today.
The San Bernardino, Calif., native spurred Arizona’s back-to-back wins at Oregon State and No. 13 Oregon with 55 kills and 46 digs over the two matches. Against the Beavers, Owens rattled off a career-high 32 kills on .426 hitting and 20 digs. She then followed up that performance with 23 kills and a career-high 26 digs in UA’s 3-2 upset win over the 13th ranked Ducks.
For the season, Owens leads Arizona in kills and digs with 268 and 203, respectively. In terms of conference rankings, Owens is fourth among Pac-10 players with 102 kills (4.86 kps) in five conference matches
This is the third weekly honor for Owens, and Arizona’s 28th Pac-10 Player of the Week all-time.
Arizona’s four-match win streak is currently tops in the conference. The Wildcats are also a perfect 5-0 when playing on the road this season.
This weekend Arizona will host No. 12 UCLA and No. 8 USC in the McKale Center. The Cats will face off against the Bruins Friday evening before taking on the Trojans on Saturday night. Both matches will start at 7 p.m. MST.
2010 Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week
Aug. 30 - Alix Klineman, Stanford
Sept. 6 - Alex Jupiter, USC
Sept. 13 - Alix Klineman, Stanford
[Pac-10] Owens Voted Pac-10 Women's Volleyball Player of the Week
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - ARIZONA’s Tiffany Owens was named Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 4-10, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today. The senior outside hitter led the No. 25 Wildcats to back-to-back wins over Oregon State and Oregon on the road, setting career highs in both matches.
The San Bernardino, Calif., native led Arizona’s five-set comeback against the Beavers by recording a career-best 32 kills on .426 hitting while adding 20 digs. Her performance ranks ninth on the all-time single-match kills list in school history. The next evening, Owens led the Wildcats again in the upset of then-No. 13 Oregon. Arizona found itself down 2-1 against the Ducks, but rallied to record its first road sweep and first win over a ranked team this season. Owens led the team with 23 kills while also setting a career high with 26 digs as the Wildcats stayed unbeaten on the road at 5-0. Owens has posted 20 or more kills and recorded a double-double in her last three matches.
It is Owen’s third career Pac-10 Player of the Week honor and the 28th weekly recognition for Arizona all-time.
The Wildcats return to Tucson to host a pair of ranked teams. Arizona faces No. 10 UCLA on Friday and No. 5 USC on Saturday.
Also Nominated: Tarah Murrey, CAL; Alaina Bergsma, ORE; Dre Shaw, OSU; Rachael Kidder, UCLA; Alexis Olgard, USC; Bianca Rowland, WASH
2010 Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week
Aug. 30 - Alix Klineman, Stanford
Sept. 6 - Alex Jupiter, USC
Sept. 13 - Alix Klineman, Stanford
Sept. 20 - Jenna Hagglund, Washington
Sept. 27 - Alaina Bergsma, Oregon
Oct. 4 - Tarah Murrey, California
Oct. 11 - Tiffany Owens, Arizona
- www.pac-10.org -
LSU Volleyball’s Jones Notches SEC Player of the Week
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LSU sophomore outside hitter Madie Jones secured SEC Offensive Player of the Week accolades Monday as announced by the league office. It’s the first career weekly award for Jones from the SEC.
“Madie has had an incredible run to start SEC play,” head coach Fran Flory said. “We’re extremely pleased with her development and this award is certainly another stepping stone moment for her. She is proven to be a terminating offensive force and someone that we can rely on when the chips are down.”
Jones paced the LSU offense to a pair of impressive wins against Kentucky and No. 22 Tennessee over the weekend as the Tigers (16-1, 7-1 SEC) rocketed to No. 12 in the latest edition of the AVCA Top 25. She ripped 3.57 kills per set and surged into the SEC’s Top 10 in hitting percentage in conference matches aided by a .429 ratio.
Jones powered home 16 kills and has reached double figure spikes in six of her last nine outings. The Plano, Texas, native also has popped over a .400 hitting clip in five of her eight conference matches.
LSU makes its 2010 television debut Wednesday against Arkansas. First serve is slated for 8 p.m. on ESPNU. The first 300 fans will receive foam RV’s as part of “Jump in the RV” night in honor of freeing Coach Flory over the summer that tripled @LSUVolleyball’s following on Twitter.
Live video and live stats are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow live in-match updates on the team's official blog at http://lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.
Sam Houston State Sweeps Southland Volleyball Player of the Week Awards
Kolbe and Black are the first team duo to sweep the weekly honors in 2010
FRISCO, Texas – Sam Houston State juniors Carli Kolbe and Kim Black were named offensive and defensive players of the week respectively, by vote of the Southland Conference sports information directors Monday. The Bearkat duo are the first team sweep of the weekly awards this season marking the fourth by Sam Houston in the last two seasons, the most among league teams.
Offensive Player of the Week – Carli Kolbe, Sam Houston State
Kolbe, a native of College Station, Texas, averaged 4.56 kills per set leading the Kats to wins over conference rivals Stephen F. Austin and Nicholls. Kolbe knocked down 26 kills against the Ladyjacks, tying the Southland season high for her third 20-plus kill night of her career, one short of career high. She needs just four more kills to become the 20th player in the 41-year history of Sam Houston State volleyball to reach 1,000 career kills.
Honorable Mention: Chloe Smith, Central Arkansas; Amanda Aguilera, UT Arlington; Kendra Rowland, UTSA; Amari Deardorff, Texas State.
Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week – Kim Black, Sam Houston State
Black, a native of Huntsville, Texas, led the Sam Houston defensive front line with eight blocks in the win over Stephen F. Austin and nine blocks in the win over Nicholls as the Bearkats went 2-0 for the week. Black leads the Southland with 86 blocks on the year and ranks fourth in the league with 1.13 blocks per match.
Honorable Mention: Cristin Curl, Central Arkansas; Danielle Daigle, Nicholls; Madison Hanlan, Stephen F. Austin, Alicia Shaffer, UT Arlington; Kelsey Jewasko, UTSA.
– www.Southland.org–
Indiana's Jordan Haverly Named Big Ten Volleyball Player of the Week
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sophomore outside hitter Jordan Haverly was named one of the Big Ten's Co-Players of the Week on Monday (Oct. 11) after leading the Hoosiers to a pair of four-set victories over Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State. She shares the award with Michigan's Lexi Zimmerman.
Haverly averaged 4.4 kills and 2.0 digs per set over the weekend, finishing with a double-double versus Ohio State and 21 kills against the three-time defending national champion Nittany Lions. The Cherry Valley, Ill., native now has five double-dubs on the season. She hit .292 for the weekend while also blasting jump serve after jump serve in both matches, breaking down the opposition's offensive system.
Haverly is not new to conference recognition, being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on three occasions last season.
Lexi Zimmerman Tabbed Co-Big Ten Volleyball Player of the Week
Lexi Zimmerman earned Co-Big Ten Player of the Week, her second conference award of the season, after leading U-M to wins over Wisconsin with 37 assists and No. 6 Illinois with her second career triple-double.Oct. 11, 2010
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Senior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) of the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday (Oct. 11) after recording the second triple-double of her career and helping U-M to wins over Wisconsin (Friday, Oct. 8) and No. 6 Illinois (Saturday, Oct. 9). It is the second time this season and third time in her career she has won a weekly award, adding to her Defensive Player of the Week honor from Sept. 27.
Zimmerman handed out 43 assists to along with 13 digs and a career-best 13 kills in Michigan's 3-1 (28-26, 25-19, 19-25, 26-24) upset of No. 6 Illinois on Saturday to move the Wolverines into a tie atop the Big Ten standings. Her only other triple-double came last season when she had 42 assists, 17 digs and 11 kills against Tennessee on Sept. 4, 2009.
On Friday night in a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 26-24, 25-21) of Wisconsin, Zimmerman recorded 37 assists, six digs, six kills and a service ace as U-M won its "pink" match.
The Wolverines will remain at home for a midweek contest, hosting in-state rival Michigan State on Wednesday (Oct. 13). The 7 p.m. contest will air live on the Big Ten Network.
UMBC Volleyball Player Ali Goc Named America East Rookie of the Week for Second Time
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Freshman Ali Goc (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada/R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate) has been named America East Volleyball Rookie of the Week, for the week ending Oct. 10, the conference announced Monday.
Goc led the Retrievers last week, finishing fourth in the America East last week with 4.17 kills per set, fourth in hitting with .358 efficiency, and tenth with 3.17 digs per set in two matches. Against Stony Brook on Friday night, Goc recorded 10 kills and six digs. Goc rounded out her week with a strong performance in a three-set win against Hartford where she registered 15 kills, 13 digs and hit at a .480 clip.
Goc, who also won week two's award for the top rookie, is sixth in America East contests in hitting percentage (.293) and ninth in digs (3.15 dps). She is second on UMBC with 2.46 kills per set and third in digs (2.44 dps) for the season.
The Retrievers return to action this weekend when they travel to New Hampshire Saturday and Providence Sunday.
Melissa Manda Named Big 12 Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior defensive specialist Melissa Manda was named the Big 12 Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced by the league office Monday afternoon. It is the second time this season that a Kansas volleyball player has earned conference player of the week accolades.
Manda had a career night on Saturday, Oct. 9 as the Kansas volleyball team recorded its first win over a top 10 opponent in program history. Manda dug a personal-best 32 balls to help limit the Big 12's top offensive team, No. 10 Iowa State, to a .182 attack percentage. Manda's 32 digs tied for the league’s single-match dig record so far this season. The 5’9” defensive specialist was also perfect in all 32 of her service reception attempts.
In addition to her stellar defensive performance, the Wichita, Kan., native added three assists and a pair of service aces. Manda ranks eighth in the conference with 0.28 aces per set and has at least one ace in each of her last three matches.
Manda, who earned player of the week accolades for the first time in her career, becomes the second Jayhawk to earn Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Week honors this season as freshman Brianne Riley was named Rookie of the Week on Sept. 20. It also marks just the second time that Kansas volleyball has earned multiple player of the week awards in the same season. In 2008, senior Karina Garlington and junior Nicole Tate each earned weekly awards.
-Go Jayhawks!-
Texas Volleyball: Rachael Adams Claims Second-straight Big 12 Player of the Week Honor
Junior middle blocker Rachael Adams headlines the Texas offense on the week with 4.17 kills per-set and a .688 hitting percentage.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas junior middle blocker Rachael Adams has been named Big 12 Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after leading the Longhorns to sweeps of Colorado and Kansas State last week. The award is the second conference weekly honor of her career.
Adams headlined No. 11 Texas’ attack last week, hitting at a blistering .688 clip, while recording 4.17 kills, 5.33 points and 2.00 blocks per-set. She committed just three attack errors on a combined 32 swings in two matches and recorded a career-high 10 total blocks in UT’s sweep of Kansas State.
In Texas’ 3-0 win against Colorado, Adams connected for 13 kills and committed just one error on 15 swings. She hit .800 in the match and added two blocks, three digs and an assist to her stellar effort.
Adams continued her red-hot streak at Kansas State, anchoring the UT middle with a team-high 12 kills on 17 swings and hitting at a .588 clip. She tallied 10 total blocks and nine block assists in the win to set a new career-high in both categories.
Adams and her Texas teammates return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 13 when they travel to Oklahoma. First serve is set for 6 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
Hook'em
University of Houston Volleyball Player Amber Brooks Named C-USA Co-Setter of the Week
Earns First C-USA Weekly Honor
HOUSTON – University of Houston volleyball player Amber Brooks was named the Conference USA Co-Setter of the Week by the league office on Monday.
The weekly honor is the first in the career of the junior setter.
Brooks guided the Cougars to a pair of 3-1 wins over Southern Miss to extend the Cougars’ C-USA win streak to five matches. The Alvin, Texas, native averaged 11.88 assists per set and led the team in assists in both matches, including 50 in the first meeting and 45 in the final match of the weekend.
She finished with a double-double on Sunday with 45 assists and 12 digs.
Houston is 11-8 on the season and 5-2 in C-USA action.
Also earning Setter of the Week honors was Kelli Bacerra of SMU. Tyler Henderson of Tulsa was named the Offensive Player of the Week and Stephanie Figueroa of UTEP was the Defensive Player of the Week.
Brooks and the Houston volleyball team will be back on court Friday and Sunday for matches at Memphis and UAB.
Middle Tennessee's Maria Szivos, Sarah Willey Earn Volleyball Player of the Week Honors
Middle Tennessee’s Maria Szivos and North Texas’ Sarah Willey have been named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
The award marks the second honor of the season for Willey and Szivos’s first. Szivos earned Player of the Week honors in 2009 for former Sun Belt member University of New Orleans.
Junior Maria Szivos served as the main cog for another undefeated week for the Blue Raider volleyball team, extending their winning streak to a school record-tying 14 matches and grabbing a hold of first place in the Sun Belt East division. Szivos, in her first season at MT since leaving New Orleans last season, put together a career performance against Western Kentucky, who entered the match undefeated in conference play. The junior recorded 13 kills at a scorching .545 clip and posted two service aces. On Friday, Szivos tallied five kills at an .833 rate vs. Troy. On Sunday at South Alabama, she hit .643 with 10 kills, and put up four service aces. Szivos was also a force defensively with 12 digs and eight blocks. This is the junior’s first Player of the Week honor as a Blue Raider.
Averaging 6.0 digs per set on the weekend, Junior Sarah Willey was unstoppable on the North Texas back line. The junior piled up 23 kills in four sets against Arkansas State and followed it up with 19 digs in a sweep of UALR. Willey was 100 percent on 34 serve receptions, and also posted five assists and a service ace. Willey now has 1,067 career digs, which ranks fourth in school history.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Middle Tennessee received nine votes in the latest AVCA poll released today. The Blue Raiders stretched their winning streak to 14 games and remain the only undefeated team in Sun Belt Conference play.
Western Kentucky is ranked No. 35 and Middle Tennessee is ranked No. 38 nationally in the pseudo-RKPI poll as on October, 3, 2010.
Senior libero Lindsay Brown, who ranked 13th nationally as of Oct. 3, has 5.47 digs per set in 77 sets played this season. The senior notched 12 digs this past weekend for Louisiana-Lafayette against La.-Monroe as she has scooped the ball 421 times this season.
North Texas leads the Sun Belt in average attendance. NT is averaging 426 fans per game in its four outings at the Mean Green Volleyball Center, including a near sell out against Louisiana-Lafayette in the home opener.
Juliana Almeida moved into a tie for fifth-place with former Jag Holly Miller on South Alabama’s all-time kill chart as she now stands at 1,083 for her career.
FIU’s win over Florida Atlantic gave Head Coach Danijela Tomic 127 career wins, as she now ranks tied for second in all-time wins at FIU. John Trojaniak also posted 127 career victories from 1987-1998.
Big Ten Volleyball Players of the Week
The Big Ten Conference announced its volleyball players of the week on Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:
Player of the Week:
Jordan Haverly, Indiana
So., OH, Cherry Valley, Ill./Rockford Keith Country Day
Haverly claims her first career Big Ten Player of the Week honor after guiding the Hoosiers to wins over Ohio State (rv) and No. 4 Penn State over the weekend. The sophomore outside hitter averaged 4.4 kills and 2.0 digs per set in the two matches, finishing with a double-double in one match and 20-plus kills in the other. Against the Buckeyes, Haverly recorded 14 kills and 10 digs, then totaled a match-high 21 kills against the Nittany Lions.
Last Indiana Player of the Week: Ashley Benson (Sept. 13, 2010)
Lexi Zimmerman, Michigan
Sr., S, Barrington, Ill./Barrington
Zimmerman wins her second Big Ten Player of the Week distinction after helping the Wolverines to a first-place tie in the conference with two weekend wins in which she averaged 11.4 assists, 2.7 kills and 2.7 digs per set. The senior setter’s weekend was highlighted by her second career triple-double, and first in the Big Ten this season, in a victory over No. 6 Illinois with 43 assists, 13 kills and 13 digs in a four-set win. In a win against Wisconsin, she recorded 37 assists, six kills and six digs.
Last Michigan Volleyball Player of the Week: Alex Hunt (Sept. 20, 2010)
Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week:
Sabel Moffett, Northwestern
Sr., MB, Temecula, Calif./Chapparal
Moffett spearheaded a Wildcat defense that held opponents to .140 hitting on the weekend and helped Northwestern to a first-place tie atop the conference after two weekend wins. She finished the weekend with a 2.3 blocks-per-set average, which included a career-high14 in a nationally televised contest against Minnesota on Sunday. Earlier in the week against Iowa, Moffett and the NU defense held Iowa to just .099 hitting. It is her second career defensive player of the week honor.
Last Northwestern Defensive Player of the Week: Sabel Moffett (Nov. 9, 2009)
Freshman of the Week:
Stephanie Holthus, Northwestern
OH, Burlington, Ill./Central
Holthus wins her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor after leading Northwestern to a pair of wins over the weekend and to a tie atop the Big Ten standings. She opened the weekend with a double-double against Iowa, finishing with 12 kills and 13 digs, both team highs, in the three-set win. She followed up with an eight-kill, nine-dig effort versus No. 16 Minnesota to finish the weekend with averages of 3.1 kills and 3.1 digs per set.
Last Northwestern Freshman of the Week: N/A
2010 Players of the Week
Aug. 30 P: Tabitha Love, So., MINN
D: Hillary Haen, Sr., ILL
F: Ashley Wittman, MINN
Sept. 6 P: Michelle Bartsch, Jr., ILL
D: Jessica Granquist, Jr., MINN
F: Jennifer Bonilla, ILL
F: Deja McClendon, PSU
Sept. 13 P: Ashley Benson, Sr., IND
P: Ashley Wittman, Fr., MINN
D: Allie Schwarzwalder, Sr., OSU
F: Ashley Wittman, MINN
Sept. 20 P: Alex Hunt, Jr., MICH
D: Mariah Booth, So., OSU
F: Deja McClendon, PSU
Sept. 27 P: Colleen Ward, Jr., ILL
D: Lexi Zimmerman, Sr., MICH
F: Ashley Wittman, MINN
Oct. 4 P: Laura DeBruler, Sr., ILL
D: Jessica Granquist, Jr., MINN
F: Jennifer Bonilla, ILL
Oct. 11 P: Jordan Haverly, So., IND
Lexi Zimmerman, Sr., MICH
D: Sabel Moffett, Sr., NU
F: Stephanie Holthus, NU
BYU’S STEPHANIE SNOW NAMED
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – BYU middle blocker Stephanie Snow has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week, marking the first weekly honor of her career.
Snow, a 6-4 senior from Tempe, Ariz., led the Cougars to two 3-0 sweeps last week over San Diego State and Utah Valley on the road. Snow, a transfer from Arizona, led the offensive attack in each match as BYU ended an eight-match losing streak with the wins. At San Diego State, Snow hit .368 with eight kills and four blocks. On Saturday against backyard rival Utah Valley, Snow hit .632 with 13 kills and three blocks.
For the week, Snow averaged 3.50 kills, 1.16 blocks and 4.25 points per set, while hitting .500 (21-2-38) over six sets. She also had three assists, one service ace and one dig.
MWC Volleyball Players of the Week:Aug. 30 Paije Pearson, Jr., OH, San Diego State
Sept. 7 Karolina Bartkowiak, Sr., OPP, Utah
Sept. 13 Irene Hester, Sr., OH, TCU
Sept. 20 Lisa Meeter, Sr., OH, New Mexico
Sept. 27 Megan Plourde, So., MB, Colorado State
Andrea Hannasch, So., MB, San Diego State
Oct. 4 Jodi Purdy, So., OH, Wyoming
Oct. 11 Stephanie Snow, MB, BYU
Kelsey Robinson Claims SEC Volleyball Freshman of the Week Accolades
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Lady Vol freshman Kelsey Robinson’s debut in the libero jersey last weekend was quite the success as she tallied 51 digs in the team’s two contests and was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. She is the fourth Tennessee freshman to earn the weekly honors since the award’s inception in 2005.
The last UT player to claim the conference’s weekly freshman accolades was Kelsey Mahoney on Oct. 20, 2008. Nikki Fowler also earned the honors three times in 2007 after Milan Clarke was the first UT player to pick up the league laurels in 2005.
In the first two starts of her career at the libero position, Robinson surpassed the 20-dig mark in both contests, averaging a stellar 5.67 digs per frame as Tennessee split a pair of hard-fought SEC contests on the road. Primarily an outside hitter earlier in the season, Bartlett, Ill., native donned the libero jersey for the first time this weekend as she continues to recover from an ankle sprain.
Robinson finished with totals of 51 digs, eight assists and two aces over the span of the two matches. She was also one of the team’s top passers, successfully handling 97.3 percent of the serves that came her way with just two reception errors in 74 attempts.
In Tennessee’s come-from-behind victory over Arkansas on Friday, Robinson scooped up a career-high 27 attacks. That also marked the highest dig total by a Lady Vol this season, with the previous high being Robinson’s 16 scoops against Xavier in the season opener on Aug. 27.
Robinson followed up that performance with another strong effort in UT’s tough, four-set loss at LSU on Sunday, notching 24 digs to go along with a pair of aces and three assists. Despite missing almost three entire matches due to injury, Robinson still ranks second on the team with 171 total digs and leads the squad with an average of 3.29 digs per set this season.
Robinson and the Lady Vol volleyball team will return home to the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena next weekend, when they host Mississippi State and Alabama. The Big Orange will welcome the Bulldogs to Rocky Top for a 7 p.m. contest on Friday, Oct. 15 before taking on the Crimson Tide two days later at 1:30 p.m.
##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##
Week 7: Big West Player of the Week - Monday, October 11, 2010 RICHMOND, VA - William and Mary freshman Celine Alasomuka (Centreville, Va.) was named the Rookie of the Week Monday by the Colonial Athletic Association, after an outstanding weekend of work for the Tribe volleyball team. She is the second W&M player honored this season, joining junior Lindsay Kresch (Moon Township, Pa.) who was the Offensive Player of the Week on September 20th. Alasomuka and her teammates continue on the road this weekend, facing George Mason on Friday night, October 15th, at 7 p.m. before taking on James Madison Saturday also at 7 p.m.
Saddler Grabs Second Straight Weekly Accolade
Alasomuka averaged 6.38 digs per set in the Tribe's 1-1 road trip to Towson and Delaware, nearly double her season average coming into the weekend. Friday against Towson, she had a career-high 31 digs and tied her career-best with three aces in a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. The 31 digs are tied for 15th-most all-time at the College, and is the second-highest total ever posted by a freshman (Kathleen Hawley '06 had 38 against VCU in 2003). Saturday, she had another 20 digs in three sets against Delaware, tying her previous best.
In the Titans’ sweep over Pacific, a team receiving votes in the AVCA poll, Saddler connected for 12 kills and added 9 digs. She also notched one service ace and one solo block.
On Saturday, the senior outside hitter registered a match-high 22 kills and fired a .358 hitting percentage in the victory over UC Davis. Saddler also added 11 digs from the back row, and in doing so, notched her fifth double-double of the season and helped the Titans win their second five-set match of the year.
The Bellflower, Calif., native contributed 4.25 kills and 2.50 digs per set last weekend in key victories against Pacific and UC Davis, propelling the Titans into a tie for first place in the Big West Conference race and extended the team’s unbeaten streak at home to 10 matches.
Second Cavalier to earn rookie honor this season
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia volleyball freshman McKenzie Adams has been named the ACC Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday.
Adams helped lead Virginia to two road wins over the weekend, a 3-1 victory at Boston College Friday night, followed by a 3-0 sweep of Maryland on Sunday. The rookie hit .302 for the weekend and landed 29 kills in the two matches, while also adding 13 digs and nine blocks.
Against Boston College, Adams recorded the third double-double of her career, a 15 kill and 10 dig performance. She also picked up a career-best seven blocks in the contest.
In the match at Maryland, the San Antonio, Texas native knocked down 14 kills and hit .379.
Adams missed the first portion of the season due to injury, but has played in the last 12 matches, starting 10. She is third on the team with 121 kills and is ranked second on the squad with a 3.03 kills per set average. In addition, she broke UVa’s freshman record for kills in a single match, as she tallied 29 to lead the Cavaliers to a five-set win over Clemson on Oct. 3.
In ACC games, the Cavaliers boast two players in the top four of the conference rankings for kills per set, with Adams coming in fourth at a 3.46 per game rate. Teammate Simone Asque is second in the league, averaging 4.04 per set.
This marks the first collegiate honor for Adams and is the second freshman of the week accolade for the Cavaliers this year. Emily Rottman earned the season’s first weekly award on Aug. 30.
Wicinski Collects Second Straight MAC West Offensive Player of the Week Nod
Nation’s top freshman in points, kills, and aces grabs award for fourth time
DeKALB, Ill. - The remarkable freshman campaign of Northern Illinois volleyball player Lauren Wicinski continues to grow as she was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week for the fourth time, the league announced on Monday. In adding to her school-record total of selections, the outside hitter also became the fourth Huskie to garner the honor in consecutive weeks, and is the first rookie to do so.
“Lauren was outstanding all weekend,” said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. “We are proud to see her continue to develop and be recognized for her efforts. But without the solid play of her teammates, the positive results that we’ve had would not be nearly as much. This [award] is really a reflection of our entire team.”
The Geneva, Ill. product came up huge in two road wins for Northern Illinois last weekend, totaling 59 points (6.56/set), 52 kills (5.78/set), and five aces (0.56/set). The country’s No. 1 freshman in points (5.74/set), kills (4.83/set), and aces (0.64/set) put up 28.5, 25 ,and two, respectively, in a five-set win over preseason MAC West favorite Central Michigan. She then did even better by tallying 30.5 points, 27 kills, and three aces in a four-set win against then-MAC West first place Eastern Michigan, including ending the match with four kills in a row for the Huskies.
Wicinski’s marvelous performances extended a few recent statistical trends. She has had 13 or more points in all 21 matches this season and has 20 straight contests with double digit kills, including totaling 25 or more in four of her last six. Additionally, she has served up an ace in eight consecutive matches.
The first high school All-American in NIU volleyball history leads the MAC in aces, points, and kills, while she ranks fifth, sixth, and eighth in the nation, respectively, in the same categories.
The more important result from Wicinski’s epic weekend was that she helped the Huskies move into sole possession of first place in the MAC West as NIU extended its winning streak to five matches. The 19-2 Huskies also improved to 5-0 on the road for the first time since 1992 and moved to 5-1 in league play, something that hasn’t been done since 2006.
The Huskies get back to action this weekend at the NIU Convocation Center’s Victor E. Court. NIU will face MAC East first place Akron (13-5, 5-1 MAC) on Friday at 7 p.m. CT before hosting Buffalo (14-8, 2-4 MAC) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door for $5 (adults) and $3 (youth). NIU students will get in for free with a valid NIU OneCard. On Saturday, individuals who bring a ticket stub from the Huskies’ football game versus Buffalo will be admitted for just $1.
-NIU-
Celine Alasomuka Named CAA Rookie of the Week
RICHMOND, VA - William and Mary freshman Celine Alasomuka (Centreville, Va.) was named the Rookie of the Week Monday by the Colonial Athletic Association, after an outstanding weekend of work for the Tribe volleyball team. She is the second W&M player honored this season, joining junior Lindsay Kresch (Moon Township, Pa.) who was the Offensive Player of the Week on September 20th.
Alasomuka averaged 6.38 digs per set in the Tribe's 1-1 road trip to Towson and Delaware, nearly double her season average coming into the weekend. Friday against Towson, she had a career-high 31 digs and tied her career-best with three aces in a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. The 31 digs are tied for 15th-most all-time at the College, and is the second-highest total ever posted by a freshman (Kathleen Hawley '06 had 38 against VCU in 2003). Saturday, she had another 20 digs in three sets against Delaware, tying her previous best.
Alasomuka and her teammates continue on the road this weekend, facing George Mason on Friday night, October 15th, at 7 p.m. before taking on James Madison Saturday also at 7 p.m.
Stephanie Snow Earns Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 11, 2010) - BYU middle blocker Stephanie Snow has been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week, marking the first weekly honor of her career, and the first Cougar to earn the award this season.
"We've seen her efficiency get better and better with every match," BYU head coach Shay Goulding said. "She was not only a very efficient hitter, but very effective in making plays for us this week."
Snow, a 6-4 senior from Tempe, Ariz., led the Cougars to two 3-0 sweeps last week over San Diego State and Utah Valley on the road. Snow, a transfer from Arizona, led the offensive attack in each match as BYU ended an eight-match losing streak with the wins. At San Diego State, Snow hit .368 with eight kills and four blocks. On Saturday against backyard rival Utah Valley, Snow hit .632 with 13 kills and three blocks.
In only her third and fourth matches as middle blocker for the Cougars, Snow has dominated the middle with hard hits and stuff blocks.
For the week, Snow averaged 3.50 kills, 1.16 blocks and 4.25 points per set, while hitting .500 (21-2-38) over six sets. She also had three assists, one service ace and one dig. MWC Volleyball Players of the Week:
Aug. 30 Paije Pearson, Jr., OH, San Diego State
Sept. 7 Karolina Bartkowiak, Sr., OPP, Utah
Sept. 13 Irene Hester, Sr., OH, TCU
Sept. 20 Lisa Meeter, Sr., OH, New Mexico
Sept. 27 Megan Plourde, So., MB, Colorado State
Andrea Hannasch, So., MB, San Diego State
Oct. 4 Jodi Purdy, So., OH, Wyoming
Oct. 11 Stephanie Snow, MB, BYU
Katie Murphy Earns SoCon Weekly Honors Again
--- Freshman middle blocker named Freshman of the Week by conference officials ---
Oct. 11, 2010
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ---- Samford freshman middle blocker Katie Murphy has been named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Week for her performance during last week’s matches, announced the league office Monday afternoon. It is Murphy’s second honor, as she won the award in the first week of the 2010 season.
The Sterling Heights, Mich., native helped lead Samford to its first SoCon win of the season on Wednesday against Chattanooga. She posted five blocks and 10 kills in a sweep of the Mocs and tallied nine kills and hit .571 while posting four blocks in the Bulldogs’ win over Western Carolina Friday evening. She also recorded seven kills and six block assists against Appalachian State on Saturday. The Bulldogs went 2-1 last week.
Davidson’s Sarabeth Peele was named Offensive Player of the Week, while UNCG’s Kayren Finney was selected as Defensive Player of the Week.
Peele, a senior from San Antonio, Texas, received the honor for the second consecutive week. The outside hitter posted 56 kills to lead Davidson to a 2-1 week. She posted 23 kills in a win over Gardner-Webb and 20 in a sweep against The Citadel. Peele averaged 4.67 kills per set in the three matches over the week. She also averaged 2.17 digs per set, which helped her to a pair of double-doubles for the week with 13 digs against Gardner-Webb and 12 digs against The Citadel.
Finney, a middle blocker from Danville, Va., extended her Southern Conference blocks lead this weekend as she totaled 17 blocks for 1.89 blocks per set. She ranked 11th nationally last week in blocks per set. On Saturday, Finney tied her career-high with 10 blocks against Wofford. She also posted a season-high 14 kills in the match against the Terriers for her first double-double in two years. This is Finney’s second Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season. She earned the award in the first week of the season.
Murphy and the Bulldogs are on the road again this weekend as they travel to Charleston, S.C., to face College of Charleston and The Citadal Saturday and Sunday.
*** SAMFORD BULLDOGS ***
Xavier Volleyball Player Michelle Matia Earns A-10 Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week Honors
First Weekly Award for Junior Middle Blocker
Junior Michelle Matia earned her first A-10 Defensive Player of the Week honor
Oct. 12, 2010
Oct. 12 A-10 Volleyball Notebook
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Xavier's Michelle Matia has been named the Atlantic 10 Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Oct. 12. This is the first weekly honor for the junior middle blocker from Westlake, Ohio, and the second of the season for the Musketeers.
Matia propelled Xavier to an unbeaten 2-0 week with her 1.86 blocks per set and 2.71 kills per set averages over the weekend. She narrowly missed a double-double on Saturday as she tallied a career-high tying 10 kills and a career-high nine assisted blocks to go with a solo block, two digs and an assist as well in XU’s 3-1 win at Temple. On Friday, Matia recorded four digs, an assisted block and nine kills to help the Musketeers’ sweep La Salle, 3-0, in Philadelphia. She is averaging 1.17 blocks per set on the season.
The Musketeers return to action on Friday, Oct. 15 with a highly anticipated matchup against league and intrastate rival No. 18 Dayton. The Flyers, currently undefeated in A-10 action, are 15-3 on the season and are enjoying a 10-match winning streak. The match is set for 7 p.m. in Cincinnati at XU's Cintas Center.
Tulsa's Tyler Henderson Sweeps National Player of the Week Honors
AVCA and CVU.com selects Henderson after an NCAA record 45 kill performance.
Oct. 12, 2010
- Tyler Henderson, a sophomore outside hitter for The University of Tulsa, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I and the Collegiate Volleyball Update National Player of the Week, both organizations announced today.
She earned the award after powering the Golden Hurricane to a trio of Conference USA wins last week. Henderson began the week with her most impressive match to date, smashing 45 kills and tallying nine digs, four blocks and one ace in Tulsa's five-set victory over SMU.
Her 45 kills set a new NCAA record for the rally-scoring era, and ranks ninth all-time in NCAA history. The NCAA kills (6.69) and points (7.29) per set leader followed by pounding 22 kills and 20 kills, respectively, in consecutive 3-0 wins against UAB.
For the week, Henderson averaged 7.91 kills, 1.18 digs and 8.59 points per set, while hitting an efficient .428. This marks the first time a Tulsa athlete has been honored as the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week and the second time a Conference USA player has been named (Kelly-Anne Billingy, Marshall-2005).
For the CVU.com National honor, Henderson is the second Tulsa player to be selected for the award. The other was setter Julia Silva in 2007. This is the eighth time the award has gone to a Conference USA athlete.
