Volleyball Voices

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: Ashley Frazier is CVU Player Of The Week

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

VOLLEYBALL

 

Alabama’s Frazier Earns Collegiate Volleyball Update National Player of the Week Honors

 

Sophomore outside hitter the first to receive national weekly recognition in program history

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama sophomore outside hitter Ashley Frazier received her second award of the week, this time on a national scale, as she was named Collegiate Volleyball Update National Player of the Week. She is the first Crimson Tide player in program history to earn a national weekly award.

 

“To be recognized on the national level is a great honor for Ashley, especially because she’s put in a lot of time into making herself better,” said head coach Judy Green. “She is making strides to improve, and hopefully she’ll continue that and become one of the best outside hitters in our league. We are certainly very proud of Ashley and this accomplishment.”

 

In Alabama’s two matches, Frazier posted 31 kills on 62 attempts for a weekend-long average of .371.  She registered back-to-back double digit numbers in both kills and digs in addition to setting a new career-high in service aces.  In the Tide’s 3-0 win over Georgia, Frazier led both teams with 15 kills on 28 attempts for a .393 hitting percentage. Defensively, she had 11 digs, a Tide best, and three blocks. Frazier continued her stellar play against Auburn, helping lead Alabama to a 3-1 win. She set a new career-high with three service aces in addition to leading all players with 16 kills on 34 attempts. The Oregon, Ohio native continued her tough defensive play, posting 17 digs and 3 blocks.  

 

Frazier, and the rest of the Alabama volleyball team, returns to action with its first SEC road contests of the season when it travels to South Carolina and Florida this weekend. The Tide will take on the Gamecocks Friday, Sept. 25 at 6:00 p.m. (CST) before facing off with the fifth-ranked Gators Sunday, Sept. 27 at 12:30 p.m. (CST).

 

--UA--

 

 

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: Ivy League Conference

Laurel Johnson Honored As Ivy League Player of the Week

Senior Earned All-Tournament Nod at Seton Hall Invitational

 

Contact: Drew M. Kingsley

 

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Senior middle blocker Laurel Johnson of the Yale volleyball team has been named Ivy League Player of the Week after earning a slot on the Seton Hall Invitational All-Tournament Team this past weekend. Johnson, a Cherry Hill, N.J. native playing in her home state, registered 3.22 kills per set with a commanding .424 hitting percentage and racked up a tournament-high 1.22 blocks per set as the Bulldogs swept through the competition to win the tournament crown. Johnson is second Yale player to earn Player of the Week honors this season, along with senior Cat Dailey, who took home the award on Sept. 8.

 

In the weekend-opening sweep of Hofstra on Friday, Johnson hit at a clip of .421, piling up 10 kills on 19 swings. She also tallied three blocks (one solo), an assist and a career-best seven digs. The 5’11 middle was even better against the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday, sharing the team high of 12 kills with just one error on 25 swings for a .440 hitting percentage. Johnson also added a match-best six blocks (one solo) against the Highlanders. In the weekend finale, a Yale sweep of tournament host Seton Hall, Johnson hit .400 once again (7-1-15) and had a hand in two more blocks.

Junior Kelly Ozurovich was also honored by the Ancient Eight as a member of the Weekly Honor Roll. Ozurovich, playing in the libero slot, was the anchor of a Yale defense that held opponents to a .083 hitting percentage this past weekend. The two-time All-Ivy honoree took home All-Tournament laurels after averaging a stellar 7.00 digs per set and landing four service aces for the Bulldogs in the trio of straight-set victories. Ozurovich also eclipsed 900 career digs during this weekend’s action.

Johnson, Ozurovich and the Bulldogs will be back on the court this weekend as volleyball action returns to the John J. Lee Amphitheater for Yale’s final pre-Ivy tune-up, the Yale Classic. The tournament kicks off on Sept. 25 with Yale hosting Central Connecticut State. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.

###

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: Ivy League Conference

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Playing in her home state of New Jersey, Yale senior middle blocker Laurel Johnson (Cherry Hill, N.J.) hit a commanding .424 (29-4-59) as the Bulldogs swept a trio of matches to win the Seton Hall Invitational. Johnson earned All-Tournament honors on the back of averaging 3.22 kills per set and amassing a tournament-best 1.22 blocks per set. In the weekend-opening sweep of Hofstra, the senior hit at a clip of .421, piling up 10 kills on 19 swings. Johnson also tallied three blocks (one solo), an assist and a career-best seven digs. The 5’11 middle was even better against NJIT on Saturday, sharing the team high of 12 kills with just one error on 25 swings for a .440 hitting percentage. Johnson also added a match-best six blocks (one solo) against the Highlanders. In the weekend finale, a Yale sweep of Seton Hall, Johnson hit .400 once again (7-1-15) and had a hand in two more blocks.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Penn freshman Lauren Martin (Bedford, Texas) was a model of consistency for the Quakers at the Towson Invitational. Martin recorded double-digit kills in each of her three matches over the weekend, totally 37 kills (3.08) while hitting a team-high .290. For her efforts, she was named to the all-tournament team. Against Ball State, the freshman had 13 kills, three digs and two total blocks in Penn's four-set win.

HONOR ROLL

Brown junior Brianna Williamson (Cincinnati, Ohion) played consistently outstanding volleyball for the Bears in their four matches this week, helping them bounce back from a 1-4 start to go 2-2 against some tough competition. In the Thursday game against Wyoming, Williamson led Brown in both kills and digs, with eight and 14 respectively, as Bruno pushed the Cowgirls to four sets, and easily could have won the match. Williamson then followed that with a terrific performance against Stony Brook on Friday, turning in 16 kills, 14 digs, and two aces, as Brown fell in five sets in an extraordinarily close match. To close out the weekend, Williamson led the Bears to two consecutive wins over Holy Cross, wracking up a combined 26 kills and 30 digs in those two matches.

Columbia first-year outside hitter Megan Gaughn (Winter Park, Fla.) had a strong week offensively for the Lions, on her way to being named to the all-tournament team at the 2009 Columbia Classic. Gaughn had 46 kills (.223 attack percentage), along with 34 digs, helping the Lions to a 3-0 weekend, winning the tournament title. She started the tournament off with an 18-kill performance against Bryant, hitting .289, and followed that up with an 18-dig performance against Fairleigh Dickinson. But Gaughn saved her best for last: in what would be the championship match of the weekend, Gaughn had a double-double, tallying 22 kills and 11 digs, helping Columbia rally back to win a thriller, 3-2.

Cornell freshman outside hitter Deveney Pula (Long Beach, Calif.) made her second-straight All-Tournament team, taking home honors from the Cornell Fall Invitational. The rookie from Long Beach, Calif, led the Big Red on the weekend with 26 kills on 91 attempts over three matches. She also chipped in 22 digs. 

Dartmouth senior outside hitter Megan MacGregor (Carlsbad, Calif.) was named to the Dartmouth Invitational All-Tournament team as the co-captain recorded 16 kills on Saturday in two matches along with 18 digs, three blocks and four service aces. In the first match of the tourney she again had double-figure kills with 11 as she recorded just three hitting errors in the match. MacGregor also had three service aces and one block. In a 3-0 win over Providence earlier in the week she had 10 digs with two blocks and one service ace. For the season she's second on the team in kills, averaging 2.31 per set. She leads the squad with 15 services aces and has recorded 13 total blocks.

Harvard senior setter Lily Durwood (La Jolla, Calif.) earned all-tournament honors at the Holly Young Invitational at New Hampshire this past weekend. Durwood handed out 100 assists in total, recorded 20 digs, registered nine kills and posted five blocks in three matches. She handed out 39 assists and posted five kills in Harvard's win over New Hampshire. She had 46 helpers, nine digs and four blocks in a loss to Wyoming. 

Penn junior setter Madison Wojciechowski (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) was honored with an all-tournament selection at the Towson Invitational following her second consecutive weekend with a 30 digs effort.  The Penn junior had 31 digs in a 3-2 win over host Towson and finished the weekend with 65 digs (5.33) overall.

Princeton freshman outside hitter Lydia Rudnick (Encinitas, Calif.) led the Tigers with 3.42 kills per set at the West Virginia Classic last weekend and also averaged more than three digs per set. She led all non-middles with .58 blocks per set and recorded double-doubles against both West Virginia and Duquesne.

Yale junior libero Kelly Ozurovich (Playa del Ray, Calif.) was the anchor of a Bulldog defense that held opponents to a .083 hitting percentage in three wins at the Seton Hall Invitational. The two-time All-Ivy honoree took home All-Tournament laurels after averaging a stellar 7.00 digs per set and landed four service aces in nine frames over the weekend. In the weekend opener against Hofstra, Ozurovich notched 19 digs, dropped in an ace and was perfect on 12 service receptions. She also distributed two assists in Yale’s sweep of the Pride. The next morning against NJIT, Ozurovich piled up 28 digs in a three-set match (9.33 per set) and notched another ace. Against the host Pirates, the junior libero led the Bulldogs with 16 digs and landed two more service aces. Ozurovich eclipsed 900 career digs during this weekend’s action.

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: CAA Conference

Bishop named CAA Rookie of the Week
Sept. 21, 2009
Boston, Mass.

Nicole Bishop was named CAA Rookie of the Week for September 21 the
conference announced Monday. It is the second time she has taken home weekly
honors from the CAA, garnering Defensive Player of the Week honors for
August 31.

Bishop recorded 44 kills with a hitting percentage of .455 and tallied 21
blocks over four games.

Bishop started off the week with 10 kills and five blocks against UConn on
September 16. She would follow that up with a 13 kill, four block
performance in the opening game of the Dartmouth Invitational on September
18, a 3-1 win over Central Connecticut State. Bishop led the team with a
.545 hitting percentage in the match.

On Saturday, September 19, Bishop would notch five kills and five blocks in
a 3-0 win over Sacred Heart and would finish with her best game of the week,
tallying a career-high 16 kills, adding seven blocks while hitting at an
impressive .583 in a 3-0 sweep of Dartmouth to help the Huskies win the
Dartmouth Invitational. She was named to the All-Tournament team.

The freshman middle hitter has come alive offensively as of late, recording
double-digit kills in four of her last five matches.

Bishop ranks second in the conference in blocks with 1.22 blocks per game as
she leads a Northeastern defense that ranks first in the CAA in blocks
averaging 2.36 per game.

The Huskies return to action Tuesday September 22, taking on New Hampshire
at 7 p.m. at Solomon Court.

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: Sunbelt Conference

Denver’s Emmy Davidsmeyer Honored as SBC Offensive Player of the Week

Davidsmeyer earns second conference award for the Pioneers this season, fourth of her career

 

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Junior Emmy Davidsmeyer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week for her performance during the Pioneer Classic this past week, as decided on by the league’s 13 head coaches.  This marks the second offensive award that the Pioneers have earned this season and Davidsmeyer’s fourth honor of her career. Also being honored by the league for her defensive performance was Arkansas State’s Heather Bowman.

 

Davidsmeyer led the Pioneers for the weekend as she posted 43 total kills and turned in a .333 hitting percentage. The right-side hitter also tallied one service ace, four digs and nine blocks. Davidsmeyer led the Pioneers in all three matches of the Pioneer Classic, beginning with a 15-kill performance in a 3-1 win over Georgia Tech. The senior finished with a .321 hitting percentage and posted five total blocks. Against No. 12 Oregon, Davidsmeyer led Denver with 14 kills and a .345 hitting percentage, before facing No. 9 Minnesota in which she posted another 14-kill showing with three blocks. Davidsmeyer’s efforts in the tournament earned her All-Tournament Team honors.

 

The Colorado Springs native currently leads the Sun Belt in kills per set, averaging 4.48, while placing third among the hitting percentage leaders with her .366 mark.

 

Bowman earned her third straight all-tournament honors last weekend at the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational.  Bowman was named “Libero of the Tournament.”  She tallied a team-high 94 digs on the weekend, averaging 6.27 digs per set.  She surpassed her career-high for a third time this season with 35 digs against UT-Arlington Friday night.  Bowman led the Red Wolves in all four matches of the weekend, posting 31 digs against Texas Christian and 14 digs against both Texas Southern and Tulsa.  She also added five assists and four service aces on the weekend.

 

Bowman continues to lead the league with her 286 total digs and has helped the West Division-leading Red Wolves top the conference in the same statistical category. Behind Bowman’s 5.96 digs per set, the Red Wolves have registered 783 digs so far this season, for their conference-best 15.66 per set average.

 

The Pioneers remain at home this week to host in-state rival Northern Colorado in a mid-week contest on Tuesday evening and the begin Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday evening against North Texas. The Bears hold the advantage in the all-time series record, 25-6, while Denver leads the Mean Green 11-8 in the all-time series records.

 

- PIONEERS -

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 5: Big Sky Conference

After earning the award four times a year ago, the senior is named POW for first time in 2009

Eastern Washington University senior outside hitter Hayley Hills was named the Big Sky Conference Volleyball Player of the Week after helping lead the Eagles to a pair of league victories over the weekend.

Hills had an especially impressive performance on Saturday (Sept. 19), recording 21 kills in just three sets in a 3-0 win over Montana State. That total ties for the eighth-highest in the Big Sky this year in a match of any length and is the most in a three-set contest. She had an especially impressive third set against the Bobcats with 11 putaways in that stanza alone.

In a 3-1 victory over Montana the previous evening, Hills tallied 12 kills, one off the team high for that contest. For the week, Hills averaged 4.71 kills per set (33 total). She also played at a high level defensively, averaging 3.14 digs per set for the week (22 total). Hills contributed five blocks and had two service aces, as well.

Hills recorded her third and fourth double-doubles of the season against the Grizzlies and MSU (with 11 digs both evenings to go with her double-digit kill totals).

After earning Big Sky POW accolades four times last year (a first for an Eagle since Kim Exner earned the honors four times in 1998), she has now attained the award for the first time in 2009.

Hills and the Eagles (6-5, 2-0 BSC) embark on their first league road trip of the season this week. Eastern will face Idaho State on Friday (Sept. 25) and Weber State on Saturday (Sept. 26). Both matches will see a 6 p.m. Pacific Time first serve.

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: Southland Conference

Ladyjacks Sweep Southland Volleyball Players of the Week

Bottles receives MVP honors at SFA Invitational, Bailey takes home her second award of the season

 

FRISCO, Texas – Stephen F. Austin is the Southland’s first team of the 2009 season to sweep the volleyball weekly awards as sophomore Mary Caitlin Bottles and senior Ashley Bailey were named league offensive and defensive players of the week respectively by vote of the league’s sports information directors. Bailey receives her second award in as many weeks, claiming offensive honors last week, and Bottles receives her first weekly award after collecting tournament MVP honors in the SFA Invitational.

 

Offensive Player of the Week - Mary Caitlin Bottles

Bottles was named MVP of the Ladyjack Invitational over the weekend, leading the Ladyjacks to four wins and running their win streak to six matches. Stephen F. Austin only needed to play one set over the minimum for the tournament title as Bottles only misfired four times on 85 swings to hit .447 for the weekend as she landed 3.23 kills per set. She did not have a single error in two matches on Friday, landing seven kills on only 14 swings in a win over Alcorn State before slamming in 11 kills on 23 swings (.478) in addition to four blocks in SFA’s first ever sweep over the University of Houston. On Saturday, she was the go-to hand for the Ladyjacks once again, picking up a dozen kills in wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Miami (OH) and added four blocks in each of those matches as well, finishing with a four-match average of 1.00 blocks per set.

 

Honorable Mention: Jessica Hays, UCA; Nicole Bowden, MCN; Jessica Weynand, TXST.

 

Defensive Player of the Week - Ashley Bailey, Stephen F. Austin

Bailey was named to the all-tournament team at the Ladyjack Invitational averaging 3.15 kills and 1.31 blocks per set and hitting .341 in four Ladyjack wins over the weekend. Bailey helped lead SFA to the tournament title, needing just one set over the minimum to run its win streak to six matches. She tallied eight and seven kills, respectively, in wins over Alcorn State and Houston on Friday and even rejected a pair of shots against the Lady Braves and six more against the Cougars. On Saturday, though, she slammed home 11 kills on just 22 swings with five blocks – one solo – in a non-conference win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. She then followed that with a 15-kill, four-block performance against Miami (OH) in four sets to give SFA its first ever win over the Redhawks.

 

Honorable Mention: Cristin Curl, UCA; Nicole Bowden, MCN; Kaylee Hawkins, SHSU; Amber Calhoun, TXST.

 

 

– www.Southland.org–

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: Sunbelt Conference

Bowman Earns Second Consecutive SBC Defensive Player of the Week Honors

JONESBORO, Ark. (9/21/09) – Arkansas State senior libero Heather
Bowman was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week for
the second consecutive week Monday, as voted on by the league’s 13
head coaches.

Bowman earned her third straight all-tournament honor last weekend at
the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational.  She was named “Libero of the
Tournament” and tallied a team-high 94 digs on the weekend, averaging
6.27 digs per set.

She surpassed her career-high for a third time this season with 35
digs against UT-Arlington Friday night.  Bowman led the Red Wolves in
all four matches on the weekend, posting 31 digs against Texas
Christian and 14 digs against both Texas Southern and Tulsa.  She also
added five assists and four service aces on the weekend.

Bowman continues to lead the league with her 286 total digs and has
helped Red Wolves top the conference in the same statistical category.
Behind Bowman’s 5.96 digs per set, the Red Wolves have registered 783
digs so far this season, for their conference-best 15.66 per set
average.

Bowman and the Red Wolves will begin Sun Belt Conference play
Thursday, Sept. 24 when they travel to New Orleans for a 7:00 p.m.
contest against the Lady Privateers.

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: Pac-10

September 21, 2009

 

Rourke Named Pac-10 Volleyball Player of the Week

 

Walnut Creek, Calif. – Senior Rachel Rourke (Queensland, Australia) has been named the Pac-10 Volleyball Player of the Week for Sept. 15-21, announced Monday afternoon by Commissioner Larry Scott.

 

Rourke, a 6-5 outside hitter, was instrumental in the sweep of No. 6 Michigan in the Michigan ADIDAS Invitational last weekend. She had a season-high 25 kills, hitting .420, adding a career-best tying five service aces. Her eight straight tough jump serves in the first set helped bring the Beavers back into the first set after falling behind 12-2.

 

Overall on the weekend, Rourke hit .290 with 57 kills and six aces. She posted six blocks, including a pair of solos. Against Marquette on Friday, Rourke moved into sole possession of second all-time for career kills. After the weekend, she has amassed 1,575, only 188 from tying the school record.

 

Her overall efforts earned her Most Valuable Player honors, her first of the season and third All-Tournament honor.

 

Before Saturday’s match, Michigan had only lost three sets, sweeping its last eight opponents. Not only did the win disrupt that streak, Oregon State snapped a 52-match non-conference regular season win streak that dated back to 2005, also snapping the Wolverines’ four-year perfect 13-0 record going into conference play.

 

The win is believed to be the highest ranked opponent that the Beavers have defeated on the road in school history. The team’s last win over a top 10 opponent was No. 10 Hawai’i on August 26, 2007. The Beavers are currently 4-0 on the road and 7-0 in three-set matches this season.

 

This is Rourke’s second career honor. She was named Pac-10 Player of the Week on Sept. 22, 2008. She is the eighth Oregon State player to receive this accolade, earning the 12^thoverall.

 

Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund.  For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. You can make an “everyday champion.”  Follow Beaver Athletics on twitter.

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: CAA Conference

September 21, 2009

Fernanda Bartels Earns CAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week Award

Junior setter was second on team in digs, blocks

RICHMOND, Va. – Junior Fernanda Bartels played an instrumental role in guiding the George Mason women’s volleyball team to two wins this past weekend, and for her efforts the Colonial Athletic Association has recognized her as the Defensive Player of the Week. It is the first weekly accolade for the Belo Horizonte, Brazil native in her career, and the second this season for the Patriots.

Bartels was second on the team in digs and blocks this past weekend and tied for the lead with five aces, as she helped lead the Patriots to sweeps over Princeton and Wright State before falling in five sets to West Virginia. She tallied 36 digs (3.27 dps) and 11 blocks (1.0 bps) while also contributing 101 assists (9.18 aps).

She posted double-doubles in two of the matches, recording 31 assists and 13 digs in the win over the Raiders while adding 40 assists and 14 digs in the loss to the Mountaineers.

Bartels currently leads the CAA in assists and is second is assists per set, registering 540 and 9.47, respectively. Two weeks prior, Mason’s Kelsey Bohman earned the same award.

The Patriots, who have posted the most non-conference victories since 1996, return to action on Friday night when they travel to Delaware to open conference playa at 7 p.m.

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: ACC Conference

Duke’s Catanach Named ACC Player Of The Week

 

September 21, 2009

 

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke sophomore Kellie Catanach was named ACC Volleyball Player of the Week after leading the Blue Devils to three wins last week, including an ACC-opening sweep over Wake Forest at the Black and Gold Challenge.

 

After dishing out 136 assists, four service aces and 11 kills during Duke’s 3-0 showing at the Black and Gold Challenge, Catanach was named Most Valuable Player at the tournament. She also directed Duke (11-2, 1-0 ACC) to a .298 hitting percentage over the weekend, which included a 3-0 win over Wake Forest, a 3-2 victory over Liberty and a 3-1 triumph over Appalachian State.

 

Catanach recorded a season-high 57 assists in the five-set victory over Liberty, 18 of which came in the fourth set. Trailing 0-2 after dropping the first two sets, Catanach sparked a Duke rally that saw the Blue Devils win three straight games to win the match over the Flames.

 

In the ACC opener against Wake Forest, Catanach directed Duke to a .326 hitting percentage and saw over 50 percent of her sets go down for kills. She also collected four blocks, four digs and pair of aces against the Demon Deacons.

 

In Duke’s final match of the week against Appalachian State, Catanach picked up her second double-double of the year with 42 assists and 12 digs. She also extended a streak of nine consecutive matches without a ball handling error while directing the Blue Devils to a .302 hitting percentage.

 

An ACC All-Freshman selection in 2008, Catanach has led Duke to best hitting percentage in the ACC at .283, the most kills with 634 and the most assists with 585. She is on the verge of collecting her 2,000^th career assist, needing just 123 more to reach the plateau.

 

-d-u-k-e-

 

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: Big 10 Conference

Hooker earns Big 12 Player of the Week honors 

Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker earns her second Big 12 honor of the year and the ninth of her career.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker was named Big 12 Player of the Week after leading the Longhorns to victories over No. 10 Iowa State and No. 24 Baylor last week. The award is Hooker’s second of the season and the ninth of her career.

 

The San Antonio, Texas, native connected for 33 kills, 5.50 kills, 6.33 points and 2.83 digs per-set, while hitting at a .413 clip in the first week of Big 12 play. The senior helped the Longhorns improve to 7-0 on the year with all seven wins coming against ranked opponents. Against ISU she moved into fifth place all-time at Texas with 1,412 kills.

 

In Texas’ victory over No. 24 Baylor, Hooker posted a match-best 15 kills on .429 hitting, while adding two service aces, seven digs and one solo block. Against No. 10 Iowa State, Hooker recorded a match-high 18 kills and 10 digs for a kill/dig double-double. She hit .400 in the sweep and added a service ace and a pair of blocks.

 

Hooker and her Texas teammates return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 23 when they travel to Colorado. First serve is set for 8 p.m. Central.

 

 

Hook'em

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: SEC Conference Defensive Player of the Week

Loading

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: SEC Conference Defensive Player of the Week

Crouch Named SEC Defensive Player Of The Week

AUBURN, Ala. – Junior libero Liz Crouch was named the Southeastern
Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in the
team’s 1-1 finish this past weekend, the league office announced
Monday.

It marks Crouch’s first conference honor and the first time in Auburn
volleyball history that the team has had more than two honors during a
season. Teammate Katherine Culwell has earned two Freshman of the Week
honors so far this season.

“I’m very proud of Liz’s persistence so far this season, battling
through an injured back,” Wade Benson, head volleyball coach, said.
“She has been able to improve her skills year to year and shows a
great sense of leadership and toughness on the court. I’m confident
that she will continue to shine as one of the best liberos in the
conference.”

Crouch, a New Orleans native, tallied a career-best 31 digs in the
Tigers’ 3-0 win over Mississippi State on Friday. That total marks a
new Auburn three-set record and was the most recorded digs in the
conference this season. Crouch’s performance also helped limit
Mississippi State to just a .050 attack percentage, the second-lowest
percentage allowed by the Tigers this season. Auburn (9-4, 1-1 SEC)
leads the conference in opponent attack percentage with .164.

In addition, Crouch recorded a team-high 14 digs in the 3-1 loss to
Alabama on Sunday. Her 6.43 digs per set average on the weekend improved
her overall average to 4.00, which is fifth-best in the conference.

“I’m honored to be recognized and I’m happy that I could
contribute in the team’s success on Friday,” Crouch said.

Auburn returns to the Student Activities Center for the first time in
three weeks when the Tigers host SEC West rival LSU at 6 p.m., Friday.
The match will be an “All Auburn All Orange” event and admission is
free.

Check out more college volleyball teams and players stories on volleyballvoices.com!

(sponsored links)

For Volleyball Parents! 

Here's the volleyball tips e-book your daughter absolutely needs to help her 

become a better volleyball player!

86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips: How To Gain Confidence On The Volleyball Court, The E-Book

Everybody writes books for coaches.  But here is the volleyball tips self-coaching e-book written just for your daughter, the young female high school or collegiate volleyball player.. 

BUY Your Copy Now! 

(Sponsored links)

Now you can shop, compare prices and find coupons for 

volleyball uniforms and volleyball training equipment. 

Here's Seven Reasons Why Players Will Gossip About The New Nfinity Volleyball Shoes

April Chapple is a fan of

Volleyball Voices Fan Page

Create your Fan Badge

About Volleyball Voices

Volleyball Voices is a volleyball news hub where girls high school volleyball, club 

volleyball, college volleyball players, parents and fans learn about the indoor and 

sand volleyball game and its female heroes with breaking news stories of college 

and women's pro volleyball players, self-coaching and volleyball training 

information, a gift and shopping directory, beach volleyball pictures and indoor 

volleyball videos.

 

 

College Volleyball Players Honored Week 4: SEC Conference

Monday, September 21, 2009

VOLLEYBALL

 

Alabama’s Ashley Frazier Named SEC Offensive Player of the Week

 

Crimson Tide sophomore receives first league honor

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama sophomore outside hitter Ashley Frazier was named Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week in volleyball which was announced by the league office Monday. This is the first conference honor for the Oregon, Ohio native and 29^th overall for the Crimson Tide program.

 

“I thought Ashley had a complete weekend of play,” said head coach Judy Green. “She contributed in every aspect to help the success of the team. She’s been working very hard to improve her game, and we are all very proud of her.”

 

Frazier had one of her best collective weekends in the Crimson and White combining for 31 kills and a hitting percentage of .371 in Alabama’s wins over Georgia and Auburn. She notched a pair of double-doubles giving her a total of five for the season with 15 kills and 11 digs against the Bulldogs and 16 kills and 17 digs versus the Tigers. Frazier recorded three solo blocks in the two matches, including one on match points against Georgia. At the end of the Tide’s first set with Auburn, she tallied a trio of service aces setting a new career high in that category. For the weekend, Frazier averaged 4.43 kills per set, 0.86 blocks per set, 4.00 digs per set and 5.79 points per set.

 

Frazier, and the rest of the Alabama volleyball team, returns to action with its first SEC road contests of the season when it travels to South Carolina and Florida this weekend. The Tide will take on the Gamecocks Friday, Sept. 25 at 6:00 p.m. (CST) before facing off with the fifth-ranked Gators Sunday, Sept. 27 at 12:30 p.m. (CST).

--UA--