IUPUI’s Meeks, WIU’s Murphy Capture Volleyball Player of the Week Awards
IUPUI’s Meeks, WIU’s Murphy Capture Volleyball Player of the Week Awards
ELMHURST, Ill. – IUPUI's Alexis Meeks and Western Illinois' Molly Murphy were named The Summit League's Volleyball Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for their performances Oct. 7-13.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alexis Meeks, IUPUI
Sr. // S // Fort Wayne, Ind.
Meeks earns her second career Offensive Player of the Week honor and first of the season after guiding IUPUI to its third-straight win with a sweep of league rival Fort Wayne. The senior setter dished out 38 assists to help the Jaguars to a .272 hitting percentage with a pair of hitters recording double-digit kills and four posting .300-plus hitting percentages. For the week, Meeks averaged 12.67 assists per set, just shy of the NCAA leader's average per set (12.70) and over 2.00 assists per set better than her average on the season. She also added six digs and a kill.
Also nominated: Colleen King, Denver; Emily Spencer, Fort Wayne; Jenni Fassbender, North Dakota State; Kelley Wollak, Omaha; Kendall Kritenbrink, South Dakota; Ann Miller, Western Illinois.
Previous honorees: 9/3 – Emily Spencer, Fort Wayne; 9/9 – Colleen King, Denver; 9/16 – Kendall Kritenbrink, South Dakota; 9/23 – Colleen King, Denver & Emily Spencer, Fort Wayne; 9/30 – Samantha Fournier, Western Illinois; 10/7 – Kendall Kritenbrink, South Dakota.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Molly Murphy, Western Illinois
Jr. // DS // Chicago, Ill.
Murphy receives her first career Defensive Player of the Week award after averaging 7.17 digs per set last week, almost doubling her season average and more than 1.00 digs per set better the NCAA's leader average. The Chicago, Ill., native opened the week with 25 digs and a season-high four service aces in a three-set win over South Dakota State. She then posted 18 digs in Sunday's sweep of North Dakota State. On the week, Murphy tallied 43 digs, averaging 7.17 digs per set, along with seven assists and six service aces. She leads the league with 0.46 service aces per set overall on the season and 0.53 per set in league play.
Also nominated: Kate Acker, Denver; Jen Milligan, Fort Wayne; Kortni Wright, IUPUI; Emily Milligan, North Dakota State; Kimberly Bailey, Omaha; Audrey Reeg, South Dakota.
Previous honorees: 9/3 – Jen Milligan, Fort Wayne; 9/9 – Audrey Reeg, South Dakota; 9/16 – Beth Howard, IUPUI; 9/23 – Melissa Firtko, South Dakota; 9/30 – Sarah Schmid, Denver; 10/7 – Hailie Ripley, Fort Wayne.
ABOUT THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
In its fourth decade of Division I athletics, The Summit League offers 19 championship sports and has a combined enrollment of over 120,000 at eight institutions, including three located in top 60 U.S. metro populations and two land-grant universities. Member institutions include: Denver (University of Denver), Fort Wayne (Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne), IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis), North Dakota State University, Omaha (University of Nebraska Omaha), the University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University and Western Illinois University. Previously known as the Mid-Continent Conference, The Summit League rebranded in 2007 and has since produced eight NCAA Champions, 62 All-Americans and 50 Academic All-America selections.
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