DU’s Schmid, IUPUI’s Howard Garner Final Weekly #SummitVB Awards
DU’s Schmid, IUPUI’s Howard Garner Final Weekly #SummitVB Awards
ELMHURST, Ill. – Denver's Sarah Schmid was named The Summit League's Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, while IUPUI's Beth Howard was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week for their performances Nov. 10-16, marking the final awards of the season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sarah Schmid, Denver
Jr. // MH // Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Schmid earns her first career Offensive Player of the Week honor after helping the Pioneers go undefeated (2-0) on the week to capture a share of their first regular season league title and the No. 1 seed in the Volleyball Championship. The junior middle hitter posted back-to-back matches with just one error in each. In the four-set win over then league-leading IUPUI, she tallied 13 kills and one error in 22 attempts for a .545 hitting percentage. In regular season finale, the Highlands Ranch, Colo., native recorded nine kills and one error in 14 attempts for a .571 clip. For the week, Schmid posted 22 kills and a .556 hitting percentage, while averaging 3.14 kills per set. She also added four digs, three blocks, two service aces and one assist. This marks the second overall award of her career as she earned defensive honors last season.
Also nominated: Emily Spencer, Fort Wayne; Kaitlyn Hickey, IUPUI; Emily Miron, North Dakota State; Mackenzie Horkey, Omaha; Kendall Kritenbrink, South Dakota.
Previous honorees: Sept. 2 – Laura Milos, Oral Roberts; Sept. 8 – Emily Spencer, Fort Wayne; Sept. 15 – Kendall Kritenbrink, South Dakota; Sept. 22 – Bailey Karst, Denver; Sept. 29 – Nola Basey, Denver; Oct. 6 – Nola Basey, Denver; Oct. 13 – Kaitlyn Hickey, IUPUI; Oct. 20 – Michaela Schimmer, Omaha; Oct. 27 – Samantha Fournier, Western Illinois; Nov. 3 – Emily Spencer, Fort Wayne; Nov. 10 – Alexis Mapes, IUPUI.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Beth Howard, IUPUI
Sr. // DS // Fort Wayne, Ind.
Howard collects her sixth career Defensive Player of the Week award after helping the Jaguars claim a share of their third consecutive regular-season league crown. The honor is her second-straight and third this season. The defensive specialist recorded double-digit digs in all three matches on the week. She opened the week by tallying 13 digs in a sweep of Western Illinois. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native then tallied 21 digs in the four-set loss to Denver before posting 27 digs in a five-set victory over South Dakota with the league title on the line. On the week, Howard recorded 61 digs, averaging 5.08 per set along with 13 assists.
Also nominated: Kate Acker, Denver; Anna Wrede, Fort Wayne; Brianna Rasmusson, North Dakota State; Kelley Wollak, Omaha; Riley Haug, South Dakota.
Previous honoree: Sept. 2 – Kate Acker, Denver/Hailie Ripley, Fort Wayne; Sept. 8 – Melissa Firtko, South Dakota; Sept. 15 – Anna Wrede, Fort Wayne; Sept. 22 – Riley Haug, South Dakota; Sept. 29 – Beth Howard, IUPUI; Oct. 6 – Riley Haug, South Dakota; Oct. 13 – Alexis Mapes, IUPUI/Melissa Firtko, South Dakota; Oct. 20 – Riley Haug, South Dakota; Oct. 27 – Melissa Firtko, South Dakota; Nov. 3 – Emily Miron, North Dakota State; Nov. 10 – Anna Wrede, Fort Wayne/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 nine institutions, including four 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), Oral Roberts University, 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 along with over 65 All-Americans, 60 Academic All-America selections and numerous former student-athletes competing at the highest professional level. For more information about the league and to "See The Summit", visit www.thesummitleague.org, follow on Twitter @thesummitleague, download The Summit League's Front Row app, and watch the weekly "Inside The Summit League" show at www.thesummitleague.org/itsl.
#SummitVB
