USD’s Walseth, IUPUI’s Hickey Named Volleyball Players of the Week
USD’s Walseth, IUPUI’s Hickey Named Volleyball Players of the Week
ELMHURST, Ill. – South Dakota's Natalie Walseth and IUPUI's Kaitlyn Hickey were named The Summit League Volleyball Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for their performances Oct. 28-Nov. 3.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Natalie Walseth, South Dakota
Sr. // MH // Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
Walseth earns her first career Offensive Player of the Week award after leading the Coyotes to an undefeated weekend (2-0) in league play with four-set victories over South Dakota State and North Dakota State. On Sunday, the senior middle hitter was perfect at the net, tallying 14 kills and no errors in 20 attempts for a .700 hitting percentage, the highest from a USD player with at least 20 attempts in a match since 1999. She also chipped in seven kills and a .364 clip against South Dakota State. For the week, Walseth posted 21 kills with only three errors in 31 attempts for a .581 hitting percentage, along with eight blocks, three digs and one assist.
Also nominated: Nola Basey, Denver; Hailie Ripley, Fort Wayne; Kaitlyn Hickey, IUPUI; Jenni Fassbender, North Dakota State; Megan Schmale, Omaha; Mallory Gibson, 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; 10/14 – Alexis Meeks, IUPUI; 10/21 – Colleen King, Denver & Emily Spencer, Fort Wayne; 10/28 – Emily Spencer, Fort Wayne.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kaitlyn Hickey, IUPUI
So. // OH // Granger, Ind.
Hickey collects her first career Defensive Player of the Week honor after recording a pair of 15-plus dig efforts. The sophomore outside hitter helped the Jaguars record their third consecutive undefeated (2-0) weekend in league play and extend their winning streak to six matches. The Granger, Ind., native posted a 16-dig, 13-kill double-double along with one block in a sweep of Omaha. She followed that up with an 18-dig, 21-kill double-double and three blocks in a five-set victory over Western Illinois. On the week, Hickey tallied 34 digs, averaging 4.25 digs per set and four blocks in addition to 34 kills (4.25 kills per set). She is the third-straight Jaguar to garner the Defensive Player of the Week.
Also nominated: Kate Acker, Denver; Sarah Heckman, Fort Wayne; Emily Milligan, North Dakota State; Kelley Wollak, Omaha Riley Haug, South Dakota; Molly Murphy, Western Illinois.
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; 10/14 – Molly Murphy, Western Illinois; 10/21 – Beth Howard, IUPUI; 10/28 – Beth Howard, IUPUI.
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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