Western Michigan Volleyball Player Lena Oliver Wins MAC Volleyball Award
CLEVELAND -- The Mid-American Conference announced today that Western Michigan senior libero Lena Oliver (Battle Creek, Mich./St. Philip Catholic Central) is the MAC West Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week. This is the second week in a row and third time this season that Oliver has won the award.
Oliver led Western Michigan to a 3-0 week with wins over defending Big East champion Notre Dame at home and at MAC East leader Ohio and Kent State. Oliver led the Broncos with 55 digs (5.50 digs per set) and successfully passed 89 serves during the week. Oliver’s play in the back line didn’t allow an opponent to hit over .200 as WMU limited its opponents to .157 attacking during the course of the week. Oliver started the week with 23 digs and career-high five assists against the Fighting Irish. On the road, she led all players with 15 digs at Ohio and 17 digs at Kent State.
Western Michigan (18-6, 8-2 MAC) remains on the road for two conference matches this weekend at Ball State (18-4, 8-2 MAC) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Toledo (8-13, 3-7 MAC) on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Deja McClendon Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Oct. 25, 2010 – Freshman outside hitter Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, conference officials announced Monday. It is McClendon’s third honor of the season and she shares this week’s award with Illinois libero Jennifer Bonilla.
McClendon helped guide the Nittany Lions to victories at Ohio State and No. 22 Northwestern last week. The outside hitter averaged 3.5 kills and 1.8 digs per set in the victories, both three-set sweeps. In a mid-week match against Ohio State, the freshman finished with nine kills and nine digs before concluding the weekend with 12 kills, two digs and three blocks against the nationally ranked Wildcats.
Week 9: Big West Volleyball Player of the Week - Monday, October 25, 2010 Svenja Engelhardt Picks Up Pacific’s First Honor Of Season
Irvine, Calif. - A career-best performance that assisted in a 2-0 week for the Pacific Tigers earned Svenja Engelhardt Big West Player of the Week honors, for the week ending Oct. 24. This is the first weekly award of her career. Engelhardt showed her strengths both on offense and defense in two matches played as she recorded a pair of double-doubles at San Jose State and against UC Riverside. In each of the two matches, Engelhardt led all attackers in kills posting 18 against the Spartans and hitting an impressive .432 and adding 15 digs. On Friday, Svenja had her finest night defensively in her four-year career as she posted her first ever 20-dig performance in just three sets. She hit .393 against the Highlanders while tallying a match-high 13 kills with just two errors. For the week, Svenja averaged 5.17 kills per game on an impressive .415 hitting percentage from the outside while also averaging 5.83 digs per set. Others nominated: Kristina Graven (Cal Poly), Michelle Osunbor (Long Beach State), Betsy Sedlak (UC Davis), Dana Vargas (UC Santa Barbara).
MWC Announces Volleyball Co-Players of the Week: AIR FORCE’S CAROLINE KURTZ AND
NEW MEXICO’S LISA MEETER NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Air Force Academy outside hitter Caroline Kurtz and University of New Mexico outside hitter Lisa Meeter have been named Mountain West Conference Volleyball Co-Players of the Week.
It is the first league weekly honor for Kurtz in her career and the second weekly honor for Meeter this season and for her career. Kurtz, a 5-10 senior from Albuquerque, N.M., led the Falcons to their first MWC win since Nov. 7, 2005, ending a 74-match losing streak on Oct. 21 with a 3-1 win over San Diego State in Colorado Springs.
Kurtz recorded a career-high 24 kills and added 13 digs for her 20th career double-double. She hit .286 in the Falcons’ only match of the week. The 24 kills is the most by an MWC player in a conference match this season and ranks second in overall matches. For the week, Kurtz averaged 6.00 kills, 3.25 digs and 6.00 points per set, while hitting .286 (34-8-56) over four sets. She also had two assists.
Meeter, a 5-10 senior from Colorado Springs, Colo., led the Lobos back into a tie for second place in the MWC with a pair of 3-1 wins over BYU and Utah in Albuquerque. Meeter recorded 18 kills and nine digs against BYU on Oct. 21 while hitting .441. Against Utah on Oct. 23, Meeter led the team with 15 kills and 18 digs for the 34th double-double of her career. For the week, Meeter averaged 4.13 kills, 3.38 digs and 4.56 points per set, while hitting .333 (33-8-75) over eight sets. She also had six assists, two service aces and three blocks.
This week’s Co-Players of the Week will face each other on Sunday, Oct. 31 in a nationally-televised match. CBS College Sports Network is offering a free preview from Monday, October 25-Saturday, November 6. The preview features two MWC volleyball matches, a doubleheader on Sunday, Oct. 31 starting with TCU at UNLV at 1 p.m. (PT), followed by the New Mexico at Air Force match at 4 p.m. (MT).
For more information about the CBS C Preview, go to http://www.themwc.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/102410aaa.html.
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, Sr., MB, BYU
Oct. 18 Danielle Minch, Sr., OH, Colorado State
Oct. 25 Caroline Kurtz, Sr., OH, Air Force Lisa Meeter, Sr., OH, New Mexico
[Pac-10] Carli Lloyd Voted Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - CALIFORNIA’s Carli Lloyd was named Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 18-24, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today. The senior setter guided the Golden Bears to a four-set victory over No. 2 STANFORD to claim sole possession of first place in the Pac-10.
The Bonsall, Calif., native dished out 52 assists and led Cal to a .347 team hitting percentage against a Cardinal squad that was holding opponents to a .155 attack rate entering the match. Lloyd’s second assist of the night pushed her across the 5,000-assist plateau in her career. Lloyd currently stands at 5,050 and is only the second Bear to record 5,000 assists. She is also just the ninth player in Pac-10 history to achieve this mark.
Lloyd was deceptive at the net where she earned five points on kills off of dumped passes to hit .308 herself. Her accurate setting allowed Cal middles and opposites to post hitting percentages of .588, .571 and .333. Lloyd also added seven digs and four blocks to her final line. Her second block moved her into ninth place at Cal for all-time career blocks. Lloyd is the only setter on Cal’s top-10 list for blocks.
It is Lloyd’s third career Pac-10 Player of the Week honor and the 28th weekly recognition for Cal all-time.
The Bears hit the road for matches with OREGON STATE and OREGON. Cal faces the Beavers on Friday and the Ducks on Saturday.
Also Nominated: Heather Meyers, ORE; Dicey McGraw, UCLA; Alex Jupiter, 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
Oct. 18 - Alix Klineman, Stanford
Oct. 25 - Carli Lloyd, California
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Kerri Schuh Earns Horizon League Offensive Player Of The Week Honors
Triple-double highlighted strong weekend performance
MILWAUKEE - Kerri Schuh of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has been named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced today.
Schuh put together a pair of stellar overall performances, including her first collegiate triple-double, in leading the Panthers to a pair of victories and back into a first-place tie in the league.
The triple-double came Saturday against Cleveland State, as Schuh collected 11 kills, 15 digs and 10 assists while hitting .360. She also had 12 kills and nine digs in a three-set sweep of Youngstown State Friday.
For the weekend, she averaged 3.29 kills, 3.43 digs and 0.86 blocks per set while hitting .358.
"Kerri is such a huge factor for our team's success," UWM head coach Susie Johnson said. "She played a great match on Saturday - to get 10 assists as a right-side is amazing. She really contributes in every way possible - hitting, blocking, digging, passing - and is very good in all of those areas."
On the season, Schuh is averaging a team-best 2.72 kills per set, while ranking second on team with 2.86 digs per set and third on the squad at 1.08 blocks per frame. She is also hitting a solid .205.
After not even playing in the back row during her first two active seasons, she has now reached double figures in digs in 14 of her 18 appearance. She has also become UWM's most reliable player in serve receive, with just six errors in her last 163 receiving chances.
This is the fourth time a Panther player has been honored by the league this season. Morgan Potter has won defensive player of the week honors twice while Jena Berg claimed league offensive honors last month.
UWM has three matches this week. The Panthers host DePaul in a non-league contest Tuesday before heading south for matches at Loyola and Valparaiso this weekend.
UCA VOLLEYBALL: HAYS NAMED SOUTHLAND PLAYER OF THE WEEK
FRISCO, Texas - For the second time this season, University of Central Arkansas volleyball player Jessica Hays was named the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Hays, a junior outside hitter from Friendswood, Texas, helped the Sugar Bears to a pair of wins by averaging 5.17 kills per set and hitting .323. In Tuesday's sweep at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, she recorded 16 kills and hit .355 with a service ace and four digs. Hays had 15 kills and hit .290 with three aces and eight digs against Southland foe Texas State in Conway on Saturday.
Hays leads the Southland and the nation with 63 aces this season and moved into second place on UCA's career list with 146.
This honor is the fourth in Hays' career and marks the fourth offensive award for the Sugar Bears this season.
UCA (21-6, 10-0 SLC) will defend their 32-match conference winning streak at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night.
Hays, Daigle Named Southland Volleyball Players of the Week
Hays claims second award, Daigle receives third weekly honor of the year
FRISCO, Texas – Central Arkansas junior Jessica Hays and Nicholls junior Danielle Daigle were named the Southland Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday.
Hays receives her second award of the season giving UCA a league-leading four weekly honors. Daigle ties UTSA junior Kelsey Jewasko for the most weekly awards this year with three apiece. Daigle’s award also marks her fifth-career weekly honor for the most in school history.
Offensive Player of the Week – Jessica Hays, Central Arkansas
Hays, a native of Friendswood, Texas, helped the Sugar Bears to a pair of wins averaging 5.17 kills per set and hitting .323. She recorded 16 kills and hit .355 with an ace and four digs in a sweep against in-state rival Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday. In Saturday’s sweep over league rival Texas State, Hays led all players with 15 kills and hit .290 with three aces and match-best eight digs. Hays leads the Southland with 63 aces on the year and moved into second on UCA’s career aces list with 146.
Honorable Mention: Rachel Yezak, Nicholls; Kendra Rowland, UTSA.
Defensive Player of the Week – Danielle Daigle, Nicholls
Daigle led the Colonels to a 2-0 week averaging 5.44 digs per set over nine sets played. A native of Napoleonville, La., Daigle helped Nicholls turn in a .224 team hitting percentage and limited opponents to a .111 hitting percentage. She turned in 26 digs at rival Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday and recorded another 23 digs against Stephen F. Austin Tuesday. Daigle has recorded 20-plus digs in four of her last five matches. She currently leads the Southland with 508 digs and is the only player in the league with more than 500 digs on the year.
Honorable Mention: Cristin Curl, Central Arkansas; Alicia Shaffer, UT Arlington; Kelsey Jewasko, UTSA.
Each school’s sports information director nominates and votes for the players of the week, though is not permitted to vote for his own player. To receive honorable mention, a player must receive votes from 25 percent of the Southland sports information directors.
Oct. 25 Conference USA Volleyball Players of the Week
Tulsa, Southern Miss and SMU collect C-USA weekly awards.
IRVING, Texas - For the fifth time this season, Tyler Henderson of Tulsa has been voted Conference USA Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week.
The Golden Hurricane, who owns the nation's longest winning streak of 20 matches, has claimed sixth of the 10 offensive awards this year. Henderson averaged 5.86 kills per set and hit .357 to lead Tulsa to road wins at Houston and Rice, the fourth and third-place teams in C-USA, respectively.
For the third time this season, Setter of the Week accolades go to Southern Miss' Kelsea Seymour who dished out 11.67 assists per set in the Golden Eagles' three league wins last week.
SMU's libero Sidney Stewart was named Defensive Player of the Week after averaging a C-USA weekly-best of 6.88 digs per set. This is Stewart's fifth career weekly honor.
Complete Release - http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/102510aac.html
Adams, Baska Earn Sun Belt Volleyball Player of the Week Honors
NEW ORLEANS – Middle Tennessee’s Ashley Adams and Arkansas State’s Megan Baska 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 third honor for Baska this season, and Adams’ first. Adams marks the fifth player from Middle Tennessee this season to be named Player of the Week. With Izabela Kozon out due to injury, the Middle Tennessee offense relied on the talents of sophomore Ashley Adams in this weekend’s wins over ULM and UL-Lafayette.
The native of San Luis Obispo, Calif., tallied the match-high in kills with 16 in just three sets against ULM, and followed it up with a team-high 11 on the following night against UL-Lafayette. Adams was also remarkably efficient offensively, hitting .392 over both matches, including .444 vs. ULM. The outside hitter was also a factor defensively with four total blocks.
Freshman Megan Baska chalked up 40 digs as the Red Wolves went 2-0 on the weekend, topping FAU and FIU. She added 23 digs in ASU’s 3-0 win over FAU Friday night and 17 more Sunday in ASU’s 3-0 win over FIU. Baska leads the league in digs per set with a 5.30 average and owns a team-high 429 on the season.
The libero from Overland Park, Kan., also added four assists and a kill over the weekend. This marks Baska’s third Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season.
LOW DIGS UP CAA WEEKLY AWARD
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University sophomore Marisa Low (Carlsbad, Calif.) was named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week Monday, two days after she helped the Rams to a pair of 3-0 sweeps.
It’s the second time this month that Low, a 5-5 libero, has received the honor. She was also Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 4.
In victories over UNC Wilmington and Georgia State, Low totaled 36 digs in six sets, an average of 6.0 per set. Low provided 21 digs in a 3-0 sweep of GSU on Friday at the Verizon Wireless Arena, her second consecutive 20-plus dig performance. Low added 15 more digs as VCU swept UNC Wilmington the following night.
A 2009 CAA All-Rookie Team selection, Low is averaging 3.89 digs per set this season. She has been outstanding in CAA play, averaging 4.81 digs per set, which ranks third in the league. Low’s defense has allowed VCU to limit league opponents to a .138 hitting percentage, the second-best mark in the conference.
Low and the Rams (9-16, 7-2 CAA), currently second in the CAA behind Delaware, will take aim at Northeastern on Friday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. in Boston, Mass.
DAORAI WINS SECOND ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AWARD
RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 25, 2010 – James Madison freshman Katie Daorai (Tampa, Fla./Plant) recorded 40 digs in a 2-0 week to earn Colonial Athletic Association Volleyball Rookie of the Week honors.
Daorai started the week with a nine-dig performance in JMU’s 3-1 win over Norfolk State on Wednesday before setting a career-high with 31 digs to help the Dukes slip past George Mason 3-2 on Saturday. The Tampa, Fla. native added three assists and three service aces in nine sets played during the week.
The 31 digs were the most by a Duke in a match since Jena Pierson (2004-07) had 40 against Delaware on Nov. 17, 2007. It was also the first 30+ dig performance by freshman since Pierson’s 38 again Virginia Commonwealth on Oct. 22, 2004.
For the season, Daorai is averaging 2.88 digs per set, ranking her second on the team. Since taking over as the starting libero on Oct. 3, she has averaged a team-high 3.97 digs per set and helped the Dukes to a 6-1 record.
Daorai was also named the CAA Rookie of the Week Oct. 4. Other CAA award winners this week include Katie Dennehy of Delaware as the Offensive Player of the Week and Jessica LaScola of Northeastern and Marisa Low of VCU as the co-Defensive Player of the Week.
JMU will be on the road this weekend to face Delaware on Friday night at 7 p.m. followed by a 1 p.m. match Sunday at Towson.
# # #
ASU’s Baska Earns Third Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week Award
JONESBORO, Ark. (10/25/10) – Arkansas State freshman Megan Baska was named the Sun Belt Conference’s volleyball Defensive Player of the Week Monday after helping the Red Wolves extend their win streak to five straight league victories this weekend with sweeps over both Florida Atlantic and Florida International.
Baska chalked up 40 digs on the weekend, putting up 17 against FIU Sunday and 23 against FAU Friday night. She leads the league in digs per set with a 5.30 average and owns a team-high 429 on the season. The libero from Overland Park, Kan. also added four assists and a kill over the weekend.
Baska’s average heading into last weekend of 5.19 digs per set ranked No. 32 nationally.
Baska and the A-State squad will return to action Friday, Oct. 29 when they travel to Monroe, La. for a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Warhawks of ULM. The Red Wolves will then meet the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns on the hardwood Saturday, Oct. 30 at 1:00 p.m. in Lafayette.
Benson Wins Consecutive Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Honors
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - For the second time in as many weeks, Ashley Benson is the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, announced the conference office on Monday (Oct. 25). She followed up her recording-break performance last week by averaging 1.8 blocks per set this week.
This marks her fifth career Big Ten weekly honor, including her third of the defensive variety.
Benson began her weekend with five blocks in the Hoosiers' dominating sweep over No. 13 Michigan, holding the Wolverines to a .092 hitting efficiency. She then posted a nine-block effort against Michigan State.
Even more impressive than the sheer numbers themselves, is Benson's play in the clutch situations. Indiana hit just .138 in the opening set versus MSU, but still took the set thanks in large part to Benson's six block assists in set number one alone. Then with a 24-23 lead in the fourth frame, Benson was matched up with MSU's Jenilee Rathje one-on-one, and delivered a solo stuff for the set victory.
Mass Earns Second Big 12 Nod of the Season
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State libero Ashley Mass has been named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced today.
This is Mass’ second defensive conference honor of the 2010 season and her 14th overall.
In Iowa State’s two wins last week at Colorado (22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-10) and at home against Kansas (25-20, 25-23, 25-20), Mass recorded 36 digs, an average of 5.14 digs per set. Mass’ 22 digs against the Buffaloes came just shy of her season-high 24 digs in match which she posted against North Dakota State.
Mass leads the Big 12 in digs per set against conference foes this year with an average of 5.05 digs per set. She is ranked fourth in the conference overall with an average of 4.59 digs per set.
Earlier this month, Mass became the Big 12 record holder in digs, eclipsing former Kansas State Wildcat Angie Lastra. Mass currently has 2,077 digs as a Cyclone with nine regular-season matches remaining.
Texas’ Michelle Kocher was recognized as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and Allie Sawatzky of Texas A&M was named the top rookie.
The No. 12 Cyclones (15-4, 8-3 Big 12) are back in action Wednesday on the road at Kansas State (9-13, 3-8). The match begins at 7 p.m. at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kan.
*Blankenship Named MVC Defensive Player of the Week*
*ST. LOUIS** – *University of Northern Iowa senior libero Ellie Blankenship has been named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week the league announced Monday.
Blankenship led the Panther defensive effort last weekend, averaging 6.00 digs per set in UNI’s wins over Drake and Creighton. In the Panthers’ win over Drake, Blankenship finished with a match-best 24 digs. In the win over Creighton, the senior finished with 18 digs. Against Drake the senior recorded a kill and two service aces as well. In conference play, Blankenship is averaging 5.55 digs
per set and ranks 24^th in the country in digs per set for the season (5.27).
The Panthers return to action Friday evening, traveling to Southern Illinois. First serve is set for 7 p.m. from Carbondale, Ill.
Clemson’s Hannah Brenner Named ACC Volleyball Freshman of the Week
Brenner led Clemson to season-high 59 kills on Friday.
CLEMSON, SC – Clemson freshman setter Hannah Brenner has been named the ACC Volleyball Freshman of the Week after her performances in Clemson’s 2-0 weekend. The Tigers took down Maryland in four set and Boston College in three, largely behind Brenner’s play.
Clemson was one of two ACC teams to go undefeated on the weekend.
On Friday night, Brenner came up just shy of a triple-double with 46 assists, nine kills, and eight digs, while also adding four blocks. The Tigers hit .312 and had a season-best 59 kills on the night. The 46 assists and nine kills were both career-bests.
She followed that up with 39 assists and five blocks in only three sets in leading the Tigers to a 3-0 win over Boston College on Saturday night. The Tigers hit .318 for the match with 45 kills against only 11 attack errors.
Brenner averaged 12.1 assists, 1.6 kills, 1.6 digs, and 1.3 blocks per set during the weekend.
She is the second Clemson player to garner the honor this season, as Mo Simmons was named the Freshman of the Week on Sept. 20. Simmons also had a strong weekend, picking up eight kills in each match and hitting .500 with five blocks.
Tulsa’s Henderson Earns Fifth C-USA Player of the Week Award
Sophomore averaged 5.86 kills/set; leads the nation in kills and points per set
TULSA, Okla. – Sophomore Tyler Henderson earned her fifth Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week award after averaging 5.86 kills per set to lead The University of Tulsa volleyball team to road wins at Houston and Rice, the league office announced Monday.
A native of Oklahoma City, Okla., and graduate of Heritage Hall, Henderson also hit .357 over the Golden Hurricane’s two wins over the third- and fourth-place C-USA teams. She totaled 41 kills in the two matches, and averaged 5.93 points per set. “Tyler just continues to grow as a volleyball player,” Tulsa Head Coach Ed Allen said.
“We are very excited about her receiving this honor and pleased with her continued progression toward becoming a more complete player.” Friday at Houston, Henderson slammed 26 kills and hit .404, adding a block and a pair of digs. Sunday at Rice, she tallied 15 kills, hit .297, and added a block and three digs. The Golden Hurricane (21-2, 11-0 C-USA) received votes in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll for the third straight week, and sits just two spots out of the Top 25. TU returns home this weekend to open a two-week home stand, as it plays host to UTEP Friday at 7 pm., and UCF Sunday at 1 p.m.
For all Tulsa volleyball news and information, visit www.TulsaHurricane.com. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane. Become a fan of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane page on Facebook – www.facebook.com/TulsaHurricane. Follow Tulsa Volleyball on twitter (www.twitter.com/TulsaVolleyball) and facebook (www.facebook.com/TulsaVolleyball). -TulsaHurricane.com-
Fighting Illini Volleyball
JENNIFER BONILLA NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Illini libero earns fourth weekly honor
Champaign, Ill.— It’s been quite a year for Illinois libero Jennifer Bonilla, playing one of the toughest positions on the floor. The Illini rookie earned her fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor after helping No. 6 Illinois to important road wins at Minnesota and Iowa. The wins helped Illinois end the first half of the regular season in sole possession of first place.
Bonilla averaged 4.8 digs per set and was 50 of 51 in service receptions in two matches this weekend. The Illini libero recorded 23 digs and perfectly received 34 Minnesota serves as Illinois defeated the nationally ranked Gophers in five sets. Against Iowa the following night, Bonilla finished with 15 digs and was 17 of 18 in service reception opportunities in the three-set win.
The Big Ten Conference announced its volleyball players of the week on Monday.
Below are this week’s honorees:
Player of the Week:
Allison Wack, Wisconsin
Sr., OH, Salem, Wis./Westosha Central
Wack claims her first Big Ten Player of the Week honor after recording two 20-plus kill efforts and back-to-back 17-dig performances in the Badgers’ weekend matches. In a win over Iowa, the senior outside hitter finished with a career-high 25 kills, the second-highest single-match total in the Big Ten this season, and tied a personal record with 17 digs in a five-set win. On Sunday against No. 20 Minnesota, Wack again eclipsed the 20-kill mark, finishing with 21 and recording her second 17-dig effort of the weekend, bringing her weekend averages to 5.1 kills and 3.8 digs per set.
Last Wisconsin Player of the Week: Jackie Simpson (Nov. 26, 2007)
Defensive Player of the Week:
Ashley Benson, Indiana
Sr., MB, Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North
Benson records the third Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor of her career after posting nearly two blocks per set in Indiana’s weekend wins over No. 13 Michigan and Michigan State. Her five blocks against Michigan were part of an Indiana defense that held the Wolverines to .092 hitting. She followed that effort with a nine-block performance against Michigan State, bringing her weekend average to 1.8 stuffs per set, clinching her second straight conference defensive honor.
Last Indiana Defensive Player of the Week: Ashley Benson (Oct. 18, 2010)
Co-Freshman of the Week:
Jennifer Bonilla, Illinois
LIB, Reseda, Calif./Marymount
Bonilla averaged 4.8 digs per set and was 50 of 51 in service receptions in two matches this weekend to claim her fourth Freshman of the Week certificate. The Illini libero recorded 23 digs and perfectly received 34 Minnesota serves as Illinois defeated the nationally ranked Gophers in five sets. Against Iowa the following night, Bonilla finished with 15 digs and was 17 of 18 in service reception opportunities in the three-set win.
Last Illinois Freshman of the Week: Jennifer Bonilla (Oct. 18, 2010)
Deja McClendon, Penn State
OH, Louisville, Ky./DuPont Manual Magnet
McClendon claims her third Freshman of the Week award following Penn State’s road wins at Ohio State and #22 Northwestern last week. The outside hitter averaged 3.5 kills and 1.8 digs per set in the victories, both three-set sweeps. In a mid-week match against Ohio State, the freshman finished with nine kills and nine digs before concluding the weekend with 12 kills, two digs and three blocks against nationally ranked Northwestern.
Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Deja McClendon (Sept. 20, 2010)
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
Oct. 18 P: Kelli Barhorst, Jr., OSU
D: Ashley Benson, Sr., IND
F: Jennifer Bonilla, ILL
F: Jennifer Cross, MICH
Oct. 25 P: Allison Wack, Sr., WIS
D: Ashley Benson, Sr., IND
F: Jennifer Bonilla, ILL
F: Deja McClendon, PSU
RMU Volleyball: Graham, Deines Take Home Weekly Hardware
Senior takes home seventh weekly league honor of career
Moon Township, Pa. - October 25, 2010 – Senior captain Amanda Graham (Melbourne, Fla. / Eau Gallie) and freshman Alex Deines (Centennial, Colo. / Littleton) both captured weekly honors from the Northeast Conference (NEC), it was announced Monday by the NEC.
Graham was selected as Molten / NEC Co-Player of the Week and Deines was tabbed as the Molten / NEC Rookie of the Week after both helped lead the Colonials to a 2-0 league mark this past week.
It is the second player of the week nod this season, the fourth of her career and the seventh career NEC weekly award overall for Graham. It is also the fourth time a Colonial has received player of the week recognition from the NEC this season, as junior Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) also won it twice, and 11th time in the last three seasons overall, the highest total for any school.
Deines’ rookie of the week award is the first for the Colonials since sophomore Amanda Craig (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Academy) was honored after the opening week of the 2009 season. She becomes the fourth active Colonial to have won the award. It is also the ninth rookie of the week honor for RMU in the last three seasons, the second highest total in the league.
Graham capped off her week with an impressive milestone Sunday as her 15 kills helped her become just the seventh Colonial in program history to surpass the 1,000-kill plateau. She hit an even .500 Sunday, her highest percentage in a NEC match this season, and reached double figures in kills for the third consecutive match for the first time this season. Graham collected 42 kills overall in her three matches last week, her highest three-match output since the end of the 2007 season, and has now hit at least .400 in 10 matches this season.
Graham had 10 kills and hit .450 in a sweep of Long Island Saturday and had set her season-high in kills earlier in the week when she posted 17 at Big East foe Pittsburgh. She also tied the RMU single-season block assist record Sunday, which she previously held, with her 84th of the season and ranks second in the NEC in blocks per game (1.14), trailing only Veith in that category.
Deines helped setup a Colonial attack that recorded 163 kills in its three matches combined. She recorded at least 20 assists in every match last week, stretching her streak to four consecutive matches in which she has reached that figure. She was one of the key components in helping RMU reach impressive offensive numbers in each of its matches this past week: the Colonials put down a season-high 62 kills, the most in their last 57 matches, against Pittsburgh Tuesday, hit .324 as a team against defending NEC champion Long Island Saturday and posted 59 kills in just four games against St. Francis (N.Y.) Sunday.
Deines also tallied 16 digs for the week and has collected three double-doubles this season. She has aided Robert Morris to a fourth-place position in the NEC with 10.57 assists per game, but the Colonials trail second place in the category by just .05 apg.
With their two league victories this past week, Robert Morris improved to 7-2 in the NEC and remained in second place in the conference. The Colonials have also won six consecutive matches at home for the first time since early in the 2008 season.
Graham, Deines and the rest of their Colonial teammates will play their final nonconference match of the season this Tuesday, Oct. 26, against 17-4 Cleveland State. Robert Morris will continue its road trip this weekend as RMU plays three NEC opponents, Central Connecticut State, Bryant and Fairleigh Dickinson, on consecutive days from Saturday, Oct. 30 to Monday, Nov. 1.
California Volleyball Senior Setter Carli Lloyd Named Pac-10 Player of the Week
The senior setter received her third-career weekly honor from the Pacific-10 Conference
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – California volleyball senior setter Carli Lloyd was named Pac-10 Player of the week for the week of Oct. 18-24, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today (Oct. 25). The fourth-year Golden Bear guided the team to a four-set victory over No. 2 Stanford to claim sole possession of first place in the Pac-10. The award is Lloyd’s third (first since Oct. 20, 2008) and Cal’s 28th all-time.
The Bonsall, Calif. native dished out 52 assists and led Cal to a .347 hitting percentage against a Cardinal squad that was holding opponents to a .155 attack rate entering the match. Lloyd’s second assist of the night pushed her across the 5,000-assist plateau. She currently stands at 5,050 and is only the second Bear to record 5,000 assists. She is also just the ninth player in Pac-10 history to achieve this mark.
Against Stanford, Lloyd was deceptive at the net where she earned five points on kills off of dumped passes to hit .308 herself. Her accurate setting allowed Cal middles and opposites to post hitting percentages of .588, .571 and .333. Lloyd added seven digs and four blocks to her final line. She moved into ninth place at Cal for all-time career blocks and is the only setter on Cal’s top-10 list for blocks.
The No. 3-ranked Bears take the highest ranking in program history for a spin in the Beaver State this weekend. Cal will face Oregon State (8-14, 1-7 Pac-10) in a 7 p.m. PT match at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. on Friday, Oct. 29, and then take on No. 18 Oregon (16-4, 4-4 Pac-10) at McArthur Court in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. PT. Please visit CalBears.com for more information and links to live stats and video.
All-Time California Volleyball Pac-10 Players of the Week:
1987 Holly McPeak (Oct. 12)
1988 Tiffany Rochelle (Oct. 17)
1989 Holly McPeak (Sept. 12)
Lisa Arce (Nov. 13)
1990 Morgan Cecil (Oct. 8)
1991 Morgan Cecil (Sept. 23)
Sienna Curci (Oct. 28)
1992 Sienna Curci (Oct. 12)
Sienna Curci (Nov. 9)
1993 Sienna Curci (Oct. 18)
1999 Candace McNamee (Oct. 4)
Alicia Perry (Nov. 22)
2000 Alicia Perry (Oct. 9)
2002 Mia Jerkov (Sept. 9)
Mia Jerkov (Oct. 21)
2003 Mia Jerkov (Sept. 8)
Mia Jerkov (Sept. 29)
Mia Jerkov (Oct. 13)
Mia Jerkov (Oct. 27)
2004 Angie Pressey (Nov. 1)
2005 Angie Pressey (Sept. 26)
2006 Angie Pressey (Aug. 28)
2008 Carli Lloyd (Aug. 31)
Carli Lloyd (Oct. 20)
2009 Hana Cutura (Oct. 26)
Hana Cutura (Nov. 9)
2010 Tarah Murrey (Oct. 4)
Carli Lloyd (Oct. 25)
YANZ NAMED A-10 OFFENSIVE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Setter Led UD To A Prolific Offensive Weekend
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- University of Dayton senior setter Jessica Yanz was named Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after guiding the Flyers to 13 consecutive wins with one of the most prolific offensive weekends of the season.
Yanz led the Flyer offense to a .336 hitting percentage with 75 assists in convincing 3-0 victories over George Washington and Charlotte, extending Dayton’s winning streak to 13 matches and helping Dayton remain undefeated in league play. Behind Yanz’s leadership, UD outgained its opponents in kills 100-60. The Bolingbrook, Ill., native opened the weekend tying her three-set season-high of 40 assists against George Washington, while propelling UD to a team season-best .427 hitting percentage. She also added four kills (.667 attack percentage) and eight digs versus the Colonials. Yanz closed out the weekend with her 11th double-double of the season with 35 assists and 11 digs in three sets against Charlotte, while registering four blocks.
It is the first career Player of the Week honor for Yanz, who is a senior newcomer for the Flyers after playing for two seasons at Penn State and Nebraska, respectively, during her undergraduate career. Yanz is the second A-10 Offensive Player of the Week for Dayton this season, joining middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier's back-to-back awards on Sept. 21 and Sept. 28.
Fordham middle Randi Ewing was named Defensive Player of the Week while Andrea Beaty, a middle blocker/outside hitter for Saint Louis, was named the league’s Rookie of the Week.
No. 17 Dayton (18-3, 9-0 A-10) hosts Xavier at the Frericks Center this Friday at 7 p.m. ET. The series has seen three straight five-set matches, including a Flyer road win on Oct. 15 in which all sets were decided by two points. On Sunday Dayton travels to Washington, D.C., to face George Washington at 1 p.m.
FORDHAM’S RANDI EWING NAMED ATLANTIC 10 VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Earns First Career A-10 Honor
Newport News, Va. – Fordham University’s sophomore middle blocker Randi
Ewing (Demarest, N.J./Dwight Englewood) was selected as the Atlantic 10
Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday. It
is the first Atlantic 10 accolade of Ewing's career.
Ewing, the daughter of former New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing,
had her best week of the season in two five-set victories over Fairfield
and Rhode Island. She recorded a total of 15 blocks in the two matches for
a 1.50 blocks per set average to go with a .361 hitting percentage.
On Wednesday, Ewing posted a then season-high six blocks to go with
seven kills and a season-high .375 hitting percentage against Fairfield.
Then on Saturday at Rhode Island, she finished with a career-high nine
blocks, including six solos to go with nine kills and a .350 hitting
percentage, as Fordham rallied from a 2-1 set deficit to win the match in
five sets.
Ewing currently leads the Rams with a 0.96 blocks per set average.
Ewing and the Fordham volleyball team (14-14, 4-5) will next be in
action on Friday, October 29th, when they will take on the University of
Rhode Island in the second Atlantic 10 meeting between the two schools in
six days. The match is set for a 7:00 PM start in the Rose Hill Gym.
Mid American Conference Volleyball Players of the Week (10.11.10-10.17.10)
East Division Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week
Michele Metzler, Miami, Sr., MH, Lawrenceburg, Ind./Lawrenceburg
Finished second on team with 24 kills, an average of 3.43 kills per set. She was easily the team leader with a .469 hitting percentage this weekend. Also provided scores via her block attacks. She had seven blocks on the weekend (one solo six assists) for an average of 1.00 block per set. Recorded 11 kills in match against Ball State on Friday. Followed that up with 13 kills in win over Toledo on Saturday. Only made one attack error the entire weekend.
East Division Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week
Madison Hardy, Miami, Fr., OH/DS, Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy
Madison led the team with 36 digs on the weekend, an average of an impressive 5.14 digs per set. Against Ball State on Friday, she recorded 10 digs, taking over as libero during the third set. Serving as libero for the entire match against Toledo on Friday, she recorded a career-high 26 digs, the most for any RedHawk since Melissa Zenz had 29 against Northern Illinois on Nov. 21, 2008. Hardy also made only three reception errors all weekend for a reception percentage of .952, and contributed offensively with three assists.
West Division Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week
Kaitlyn Schultz, Central Michigan, Jr., MH, Highland, Mich./Milford
Kaitlyn Schultz was beyond dominant last weekend, averaging 4.43 kills per set and hit an eye-popping .600 against Akron and Buffalo. She put up 5.0 points per set, adding a pair of aces and four blocks. She finished with 17 kills and hit .571 against Akron with a pair of aces and a block and added 14 kills in just 22 swings with no errors (.636) and three blocks against Buffalo.
West Division Defensive Volleyball Player of the Week
Lena Oliver, Western Michigan, Fr., L, Battle Creek, Mich./St. Philip Catholic Central
Lena Oliver led Western Michigan to a 3-0 week with wins over defending Big East champion Notre Dame at home and at MAC East leader Ohio and Kent State. Oliver led the Broncos with 55 digs (5.50 digs per set) and successfully passed 89 serves during the week. Oliver’s play in the back line didn’t allow an opponent to hit over .200 as WMU limited its opponents to .157 attacking during the course of the week. Oliver started the week with 23 digs and career-high five assists against the Fighting Irish. On the road, she led all players with 15 digs at Ohio and 17 digs at Kent State
CVU.com Selects Ashley Benson as National Volleyball Player of the Week
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Senior middle blocker Ashley Benson has been selected by CVU.com (College Volleyball Update) as the National Player of the Week. The recognition comes almost two years to the date after receiving the same accolade as a sophomore back on Oct. 28, 2008.
Benson anchored the Hoosier frontline defense through a pair of Big Ten victories last week.
In the week's first contest, Indiana rolled to the sweep of then conference leader Michigan, with the defense holding the Wolverines to just .092 hitting. Benson tabbed five block assists and four digs as well as six kills on nine swings to hit .556 (one error).
Then in a tight match with Michigan State, Benson was potent on both sides of the net as she just missed a double-double. The senior hammered 19 kills on .545 hitting while putting back nine stuffs. She tallied six block assists in the first set alone, then scored on a solo block at 24-23 in the fourth frame to give the Hoosiers the set victory.
For the week the middle averaged 3.13 kills and 1.75 blocks per set while hitting .548.
Benson is averaging 1.47 blocks per set on the season, good for seventh in the NCAA rankings. She also ranks sixth nationally for hitting efficiency, sitting at .423.
