West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Kara Bates, Ball State, Sr., OH, Bradley, Ill./Bradley Bourbonnais Community
Named the Most Valuable Player of the Ball State Tournament after guiding the Cardinals to wins over Pittsburgh (3-0), Wright State (3-0) and Wyoming (3-10 … Led all players in the event with a 4.00 kills-per-set average (40 kills), while hitting an impressive .330 (40-11-88) over the three matches … Earned a pair of kill/dig double-doubles on the weekend and ranked sixth overall in the event with a 3.60 digs-per-set average.
East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Paige Penrod, Bowling Green, Jr, LS, Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm
Paige Penrod was named to the Purdue Active Ankle Challenge All-Tournament Team after averaging 4.91 kills per set and 5.41 points per set in guiding Bowling Green to a 2-1 record at the event. Penrod had at least 14 kills in each of the three matches, including a weekend-high 21 in a win over Jacksonville State. On top of that, Penrod averaged 2.55 digs per set, was perfect in 58 serve receive attempts, and had six blocks.
Co-West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Catie Fredrich, Ball State, Jr., L, Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls
Named to the Ball State Tournament All-Tournament team after leading the Cardinals to wins over Pittsburgh (3-0), Wright State (3-0) and Wyoming (3-1) in the two-day event … Led all players with a 5.40 digs-per-set average (54 digs), while posting a perfect 1.000 reception percentage over the two days by successfully passing all 33 service attempts she faced … Her passing helped Ball State posted a .304 team hitting percentage for the week, while her defensive played helped limit BSU’s opponents to a .137 hitting mark.
Lena Oliver, Western Michigan, Jr., L, Battle Creek, Mich. / St. Philip Catholic Central
Oliver helped the Broncos to a 2-1 record at the Northwestern Wildcat Classic over the weekend, including a pair of 3-0 sweeps over Saint Louis and Delaware.Oliver led the Broncos with 57 digs and a 5.70 digs/set average over the weekend, including match-highs of 17 and 23 against the Billikens and Blue Hens, respectively. Oliver had 17 digs against Saint Louis and the Broncos out-dug the Billikens 63-53 and held their opponents to a miniscule .083 hitting percentage. Oliver’s 23 digs were part of a defensive effort against Delaware that saw the Broncos hold the Blue Hens to .196 hitting and out-dig them 60-46.
Co-East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Jill Paluch, Akron, Jr., DS, Chicago, Ill./Nazareth Academy
Jill Paluch was the spearhead of the Akron defense once again as the Zips went 2-1 at the Hampton Invitational at Bryant University. The All-Tournament Team selection scored well above her season average with 5.40 digs per set on the weekend, posting match-high numbers against Bryant and Northern Kentucky. Paluch’s 20 digs against NKU ties her career-high mark that was set in the first match of the season. Over the course of the three matches, Paluch posted a .96 receiving percentage with just two errors. Following her lead, as a team the Zips have out-dug their opponents in the last eight consecutive matches.
Kelly Svoboda, Buffalo, Jr., L, Cleveland, OH/Trinity
Kelly Svoboda was named to the All-Tournament team at the Blue and White Classic as UB went a perfect 3-0 to win the tournament championship. Svoboda had 26 digs in UB’s five-set victory over Dartmouth on Friday night and then had pair of 15-dig matches in UB’s two 3-0 sweeps on Saturday. Svoboda, who missed the first two weekends of the season, added four services over the three matches. Svoboda averaged 5.09 digs per game on thw week and totaled 56 digs.
Additional Nominees for Defensive Player of the Week
Jenna Coates, Central Michigan, Jr., L, Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston
Central Michigan junior Jenna Coates once again led the match in digs Saturday night, recording 18 against IPFW inside McGuirk Arena. Coates finished the night with 4.50 digs per set, helping the Chippewas limit the Mastodons to a .197 hitting percentage. Coates play has been instrumental in the Chippewas leading the MAC in hitting percentage as she ranks 32nd in the country in digs per set with 5.07.
Sierra Reed, Eastern Michigan, Fr., L, Parker City, Ind./Wapahani
Freshman libero, Sierra Reed, posted double-figure digs in three of Eastern’s four matches this week. Reed notched 21 digs against in-state rival Oakland University Tuesday, Sept. 11. She also had just two reception errors in 49 attempts for a .959 percentage. The freshman posted reception percentages above .900 in each of EMU’s four matches, including a .977 against Duke University, Sept. 14. She made just one reception error in 43 attempts against the Blue Devils. The Parker City, Ind. native averaged 3.50 digs per set and a .947 reception percentage during the four matches this week.
Hannah Herc, Kent State, Jr., DS/L, Eden, N.Y./Eden
Kent State junior defensive specialist/libero Hannah Herc (Eden, N.Y.) tallied a team-high 37 digs and 4.11 digs per set at the Butler Invitational over the weekend. Herc led the team in digs in all three matches, including nine in a 3-0 loss to UC Davis on Friday (Sept. 14), 17 in a 3-0 loss to SE Missouri State on Saturday (Sept. 15), and 11 in a 3-0 loss to Butler. On the season, she leads the Golden Flashes with 145 digs and 3.54 digs per set.
Amber Walker, Northern Illinois, Sr., L, Juneau, Alaska/Juneau Douglas/Western Oregon
Walker recorded 4.93 digs per game this past weekend where the Huskies went 2-2. She recorded a weekend hight 25 digs in NIU's loss to Northern Iowa.
Kelly Lamberti, Ohio, So., OH, Cary, Ill./Cary Grove
Lamberti led the Bobcats in kills and was second in digs this weekend. She had 21 kills and 19 digs in a five-setter against North Carolina, both season-highs. She had 13 kills, four service aces and five digs against UNCG and closed the weekend with 11 digs and seven kills against NC State.
Additional Nominees for Offensive Player of the Week
Alex Cocklin, Akron, Jr., OH, Rochester, Mich./Marian High School
Alex Cocklin proved to be an offensive weapon for Akron during its 2-1 showing at the Bryant Hampton Invitational. The outside hitter played well above her season averages, hitting for double figures in all three matches and averaging 4.20 kills per game. Against Northern Kentucky, Cocklin led both teams with 19 kills, which was also a new career-high mark. Overall, she posted a .344 hitting percentage to go along with two service aces for 4.7 points per game.
Dana Musil, Buffalo, Jr., OH, Vancouver, British Columbia/South Delta
Dana Musil was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player at the Blue and White Classic as the Bulls went a perfect 3-0 on the weekend. On Saturday, UB won both of its matches 3-0, including the tournament championship over Syracuse. Against the Orange, Musil had 19 kills, tying a school record for kills in a three-set match. It was the first time that a player has had 19 kills in a three set match in the new 25-point scoring format. Musil also added three service aces in the victory over its Big East foe.
Lindsey Dulude, Central Michigan, Sr., OH, Midland, Mich./Midland
Senior Lindsey Dulude recorded a season-high 16 kills versus IPFW Saturday night, the Chippewas’ only match of the season. Dulude finished the night with 17 points, putting together dominant performances in the first and fourth sets as she recorded six kills in the first set and five kills in the fourth. The senior is second on the team with 107 kills on the season and leads all Chippewas with 10 aces on the year.
Rachel Iaquaniello, Eastern Michigan, Sr., OH, Plymouth, Mich./Dearborn Divine Child
Senior outside hitter, Rachel Iaquaniello, led the Eagles offense over the last week notching 60 kills, averaging 15 kills per set. Her best performance of the week came, Sept. 11, when the Green and White fell to Oakland University. The Plymouth, Mich. native posted a double-double with 22 kills and 17 digs against the Golden Grizzlies. Her 22 kills tied the second-most on the season for Eastern’s all-time kill leader. The senior notched double-doubles in three of EMU’s four matches over the week. Not only did Iaquaniello post good offensive numbers, but defensively she had double-figure digs in three matches and posted a .978 reception percentage, making just one error in 45 total attempts.
MacKenzie Roddy, Northern Illinois, So., OH, San Bernardino, Calif./Cajon
Named to Bradley’s CEFCU Classic All-Tournament Team after going off for a career-high 30 kills in a comeback five-set win over Bradley as she also had a career-high four aces and hit an astonishing .407 on 59 swings with only six errors.
Abby Gilleland, Ohio, Fr., S, Bull Valley, Ill./Marian Central Catholic
Abby Gilleland is leading the Bobcats in assists during her freshman campaign. She had 37 assists, eight digs, four blocks and five aces during a five-setter with UNC. Gilleland had four kills and 29 digs against UNCG and five kills with 20 digs against NC State.
Dakota Harkins, Toledo, Jr., MB, Canal Fulton, OH/Northwest
Junior MB Dakota Harkins posted a team-high .424 attack percentage to earn all-tournament team honors at Wake Forest’s Black & Gold Challenge. Harkins also ranked second on the team with 2.45 kills per set and registered a career-high 14 kills and season-best .550 attack percentage vs. Appalachian State. She also tallied 13 kills and a .417 hitting mark vs. Campbell.
Terin Norris, Western Michigan, R-So., S, Dowling, Mich. / Delton Kellogg
Norris was named to the All-Tournament squad at the Northwestern Wildcat Classic, as she helped the Broncos to a 2-1 record on the weekend that included sweep victories over Saint Louis and Delaware. Norris recorded her team-leading sixth double-double of the season against the Billikens on Friday, notching 30 assists and 13 digs in the Broncos’ 3-0 win. Norris would be even better in the Friday nightcap against Delaware, recording 43 assists and 10 digs against the Blue Hens in helping WMU to a 3-0 win. Norris would be a key part of the Broncos’ efforts to rally against Northwestern on Sunday, posting 41 assists and an ace for the Broncos in the 3-1 loss.