MAC Announces Volleyball Players of the Week

Ingle was Miami’s leading offensive attacker with an impressive .478 hitting percentage on the weekend. She had a total of 26 kills in two matches, including a career-high tying 15 kills in only three sets in a win against Toledo on Friday. In that match she hit .636. She added another 11 kills in a dramatic five-set victory over Ball State on Saturday. Ingle made only four attack errors in 46 attempts on the weekend and when you add in her blocking scored 31.5 points, an average of 3.94 per set.

 

Chelsea Harvey took the lead role in Akron’s stellar defensive cast last weekend in two solid wins over Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. The senior played well above her marks this season, defending the Zips’ home floor and putting up 4.00 digs per set compared to her 2.90 average. Harvey played a clean match against Central Michigan without posting a receiving error despite being targeted 37 times. On the weekend overall, she carried a 98.3% receiving percentage. She also protected the net with 0.38 blocks per set. With 19 digs against EMU and 13 against CMU, Harvey has now recorded double-digit digs in her last five consecutive contests. 

 

Senior outside hitter Rachel Iaquaniello helped the Eagles split a pair of cross-divisional matches this weekend. Eastern first fell to Akron on the road in four sets, but were able to top the Buffalo Bulls in four the following night. Iaquaniello averaged a double-double in the matches this weekend, posting 21.5 kills and 14.5 digs per match. The Plymouth, Mich. native opened the weekend up with a 17-kill and 16-dig performance against the Zips, where she posted a .175 attack percentage (17-6-63). The senior followed-up with her best offensive performance of the season, tying a season-high of 26 kill, while picking up 13 digs. Her .368 hitting percentage (26-5-57) was the best of the season for 2012 Senior CLASS Award finalist. 

 

Helped the Ball State women’s volleyball team hand league-leader Bowling Green its first Mid-American Conference loss of the season by racking up a career-high 13 total blocks, including one solo block and 12 block assists … The 12 block assists tie as the fourth-best single match total in program history, while the 13 total block tie as the ninth-best single match effort in program history … Both are the most for a BSU player since Sept. 6, 2006 … In addition, the team’s 21 total blocks against the Falcons tie as the ninth-best single match total in program history and are the most for a Ball State squad since Sept. 28, 2006 … Scott would go on to add for more blocks at Miami, including a pair of solo stuffs … She also smashed 17 kills against the RedHawks, one shy of her career high, and posted a .361 hitting mark in the match … She finished the weekend with 25 kills and a .274 hitting mark, while boasting 3.89 points per set.

 

Central Michigan junior Jenna Coates, the Mid-American Conference leader in digs, put together arguably her best defensive performance of the season over the weekend at Buffalo and Akron. The junior recorded her third 30-plus dig effort of the season Friday at Buffalo, finishing the night with 32 digs (8.0/set) before helping the Chippewas limit Akron to a .107 hitting percentage with 24 digs (6/set). The Clarkston, Mich., native finished the weekend with 56 total digs in eight sets for a 7.0 digs per set average, nearly two whole digs above her MAC leading average. Coates is now just four digs shy of moving into third place all-time in the CMU record books for rally scoring.

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Additonal Nominees for Defensive Player of the Week
Alex Cocklin, Akron, Jr., OH, Rochester, Mich./Marian High School
Alex Cocklin’s offense from the outside lifted Akron to two crucial victories in cross-divisional showdowns with Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. She exceeded her season average posting 3.88 kills per set during the course of the two matches, with 15 against EMU and a match-high 16 against CMU. Cocklin has hit for double figures a total of 14 times this season, and half of those have been performances of 15 kills or more. The junior also added 15 digs and six total blocks over the weekend to round out her game.

 

Lisa Scott smashed 17 kills against the RedHawks, one shy of her career high, and posted a .361 hitting mark in the match … After opening the week with eight kills at Bowling Green, Scott finished the weekend with 25 kills and a .274 hitting mark, while boasting 3.89 points per set … On defense, Scott helped the Ball State women’s volleyball team hand league-leader Bowling Green its first Mid-American Conference loss of the season by racking up a career-high 13 total blocks, including one solo block and 12 block assists … The 12 block assists tie as the fourth-best single match total in program history, while the 13 total block tie as the ninth-best single match effort in program history … Both are the most for a BSU player since Sept. 6, 2006 … In addition, the team’s 21 total blocks against the Falcons tie as the ninth-best single match total in program history and are the most for a Ball State squad since Sept. 28, 2006 … Scott would go on to add for more blocks at Miami, including a pair of solo stuffs.

 

Laura Avila averaged 12.0 assists per set, dishing out 48 assists in each of Bowling Green’s matches this weekend. Avila had 48 assists in a four-set loss to Ball State Friday night and followed that up with 48 more assists in a four-set win over rival Toledo. In the match against Toledo, she also added three kills on just four attempts. Along with those numbers, Avila had 17 digs and three blocks on the weekend.

 

Carissa McKenna had an outstanding weekend as the Bull split a pair of home matches at Alumni Arena.  In the win over Central Michigan, McKenna had 12 kills and just two errors, while also recording eight blocks, including two solos and a service ace.  On Saturday, McKenna tied for team-high honors in kills with 11 against Eastern Michigan, recording just two errors in that match as well.

 

Kent State senior middle blocker Kathy Krupa (Burbank, Ill.) hit a team-best .481 and shared the team lead with five aces in helping the Golden Flashes split their pair of home matches with teams that entered the weekend tied for the Mid-American Conference West Division lead. Krupa posted 14 kills with just a single error over two matches. Her averages of 1.75 kills per set and 2.88 points per set were third on the team for the weekend. Krupa had eight kills and a matched a career-high with three aces in a loss to Western Michigan on Friday (Oct. 19) and added six kills and two aces in a win over Northern Illinois on Saturday (Oct. 20). She also tied for the team lead with eight total blocks, including six in the victory over Northern Illinois as the Golden Flashes recorded a season-high 16 blocks as a team. During MAC play, Krupa is hitting .295 and averaging 1.86 kills per set.

 

Sarah Angelos paced the offense 3.38 kills per set and hit a stout .480.

 

Chelsea Bilger led Ohio in kills this weekend with a match-best 16 in the win over Western Michigan. She hit .577 against the Broncos, one night after notching 12 kills in a win over NIU. The sophomore has notched 12 kills or more in seven of her last eight matches, hitting over .324 during half of them. Coming into the weekend, Bilger was ranking among the MAC’s league leaders with 3.77 kills per set. 

 

Junior OH Lauren Rafdal led the Rockets last week with 4.09 kills per set and ranked second with a .231 attack percentage vs. IPFW, Miami and Bowling Green. Rafdal led Toledo in kills in each match, tallying 21 kills vs. IPFW, 12 at Miami and 12 at Bowling Green. 

 

Brown was the top offensive threat for the Broncos this past weekend, pacing them in kills as they split a pair of matches against MAC East opponents on the road.  Brown recorded a match-high 13 kills in the Broncos’ win over Kent State on Friday, doing so on 28 swings with just three errors for a .357 hitting percentage.  Brown also added five digs and a match-high three blocks in the victory, which moved the Broncos into sole possession of first place in the MAC West Division.  Brown would go on to notch a team-high 10 kills in the Broncos’ match at Ohio the next night.  Brown hit .348 against the Bobcats on Saturday, recording just two errors  on 23 swings.

 

 

Paige Penrod had a career-high 27 digs against Ball State and posted a pair of double-doubles on the weekend. Penrod averaged 4.75 digs per set and had a .968 serve receive percentage with only two errors on 63 attempts. The junior outside hitter had 14 kills, 27 digs and an ace against Ball State before leading the team to a win over rival Toledo with a match-high 17 kills to go with 11 digs and two blocks.

 

Kent State junior defensive specialist/libero Hannah Herc (Eden, N.Y.) posted an impressive 6.00 digs per set and had a .973 serve receive percentage as the Golden Flashes earned a split with two teams who entered the weekend tied atop the Mid-American Conference West Division standings. Herc posted a career-high 30 digs Friday (Oct. 19) in a 3-1 loss to Western Michigan. She tallied double-figure digs (10) in the second set, which the Flashes won 26-24. On Saturday (Oct. 20), Herc had 18 digs as Kent State topped Northern Illinois in four sets. She leads the Golden Flashes digs in (310) and digs per set (4.08) on the season. Herc posts a 4.71 digs per set average in the MAC and has recorded double-figure digs 18 times, including the past six matches. 

 

Ingle was a force to be reckoned with defensively this past weekend. She recorded a total of eight blocks, including three solo. Against Toledo, Ingle had three total blocks with one solo and two assisted. She bettered that against Ball State with five total blocks, including a career-high tying two solo.

 

Amber Walker led the defense with 4.88 digs per set as NIU held opponents to a .215 attack percentage.

 

Kelly Lamberti finished with two double-doubles on the weekend and led the Bobcats in digs against MAC West leader Western Michigan. The sophomore now has 10 double-doubles on the season, five in MAC play. The 16 digs against the Broncos was her second-highest total in league play and her 14 vs. NIU was her third-highest mark. Her three block assists vs. Northern Illinois was her second –best total in MAC play.  

 

Oliver paced the Broncos defensively over the weekend, pacing them in digs as they split a pair of matches against MAC East opponents on the road.  Oliver had a team-high 24 digs against Kent State on Friday, and also contributed four assists and two aces in the Broncos’ victory.  Oliver tied for the team-high with 10 digs against Ohio on Saturday, and added seven assists in the Broncos’ loss.