Six Honored in Week 4 Volleyball Athletes of the Week
MAC East Offensive Player of the Week
Ashley Richardson, Akron, Middle Blocker
Junior – Doylestown, Ohio/Chippewa
Junior Ashley Richardson was named to the Zips Invitational All-Tournament team after totaling 29 kills leading Akron to a 2-0 record over the weekend. The middle blocker committed just one attacking error on 43 total attempts, recording an impressive .651 hitting percentage. She also tallied three service aces and four blocks to add to her 4.86 points per set. Richardson tied her career high of 15 kills in the Zips three-set victory over Bucknell. On the season, Richardson holds a team-best .416 hitting percentage.
MAC West Offensive Player of the Week
Meg Wolowicz, NIU, Middle Blocker
Senior – Manitowoc, Wisconsin/Manitowoc Lincoln
Wolowicz averaged 4.95 kills per set and hit .255 over five matches this week… Set a career-high with 30 kills and hit .352 against Chicago State on Sept. 11… Had her third double-double of the season on Sept. 12 with 22 kills and 11 digs against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 12… Led NIU with 20 kills against East Tennessee State on Sept. 14, hitting a season-high .381… Had 18 kills and a season-high five blocks in five-set match against Western Kentucky on Sept. 15… Named to WKU Tournament All-Tournament Team.
MAC East Defensive Player of the Week
Kallie Seimet, Bowling Green, Libero
Senior – Oregon, Ohio/Clay
Kallie Seimet was named MVP of the BGSU Invitational after leading the Falcons to a 3-0 record and tournament championship. Seimet averaged 7.60 digs per set and had just two reception errors on the weekend, to go with two service aces. She had 35 digs in the team’s four-set win over Marshall, as well as a perfect serve receive percentage on 20 attempts, and followed that up with 27 in a three-set sweep of IUPUI, before finishing with 14 against Nicholls State.
MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Meg Starling, Ball State, Middle
R-Senior – Hopkinsville, Kentucky/University Heights
Redshirt senior middle Meg Starling turned in a dominating effort at the net to lead the Ball State women’s volleyball team to a perfect 4-0 record last week. Over the Cardinals’ four matches, she collected 23 total blocks and averaged 1.64 blocks-per-set. She opened the week with seven total blocks in a sweep of IUPUI and followed with seven more in a five-set victory over UMBC. After collecting three blocks in the sweep at Towson, including the block that ended the match, Starling added six more in the victory over La Salle to help the Cardinals clinch the Tiger Invitational championship. Starling also had a solid week on offense, which some say is the best defense, ranking second on a very balanced Ball State offense with 33 kills and a 2.36 kills-per-set average. She also hit .304 (33-5-92) for the week. Starling tallied a season-high 12 kills in the sweep of Towson, while adding all 11 in the five-set win over UMBC.
MAC East Setter of the Week
Tia Gleason, Buffalo, Setter
Sophomore – North Bay, Ontario/North Bay
It was another big weekend for sophomore setter Tia Gleason who led the Bulls to a pair of wins at the American Volleyball Classic. She opened the weekend against American on Friday night and led the Bulls to the 3-0 road victory while dishing out 34 assists and adding eight digs. She had a career performance in the four-set win over Howard on Saturday as Gleason finished with 56 assists in the four sets, averaging 14.0 assists per set. Gleason also added 25 assists in UB’s match against fifth-ranked Penn State.
MAC West Setter of the Week
Carly Townsend, Toledo, Setter
Senior – Germantown, Wisconsin/Germantown
Averaged 11.1 assists per set over the weekend in UT’s two matches, both five-set victories…tallied 54 and 57 assists, respectively, in the matches against Bucknell and Youngstown State, which were played consecutively…Also had 13 digs against the Bison, her third double-double of the year…All five of the Rockets’ wins this season have come with Townsend as the team’s main setter…Contributed offensively as well, recording 2 kills and three blocks against Bucknell and 4 kills plus two blocks against Youngstown State.
Other Nominees
Grace Balensiefer, NIU, Setter
Freshman – Lafayette, Indiana/McCutcheon
Balensiefer averaged 8.05 assists per set this week… The freshman had over 30 assists in four matches… Had 34 assists and 12 digs against Chicago State on Sept. 11… Recorded another double-double with 38 assists and 11 digs in five-set match against Southeast Missouri State… Set a career-high with 44 assists in five-setter against Western Kentucky on Sept. 15.
Zoe Birnbrich, Toledo, Middle Hitter
Junior – Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman
Averaged 3.10 kills per set and hit .365 in Toledo’s two victories last weekend, helping the Rockets defeat Bucknell and Youngstown State…15 kills, three aces, and three blocks in the five-set win over the Bison…16 kills and a .469 hitting percentage against the Penguins, as well as six total blocks…Has been the Rockets’ most efficient offensive threat this season, hitting .364 in 11 matches with an average of 3.09 kills per set…has now hit over .400 six times, and over .500 twice.
Madeline Brandewie, Bowling Green, Middle
Senior – Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley
Madeline Brandewie was named to the All-Tournament Team of the BGSU Invitational after helping the Falcons to a 3-0 record and tournament championship. She hit .379 with 3.33 kills and 1.11 blocks per set during the tournament, coming up big in the closest match of the weekend by recording 14 kills and five blocks in a four-set win over Marshall.
Erin Gardner, Kent State, Libero
Freshman - Avon, Ohio/Avon
Erin Gardner earned a spot on the Bulldog Brawl All-Tournament Team by averaging 5.82 per set over Kent State’s three matches against a competitive tournament field. Gardner had her best performance of the weekend in the Golden Flashes’ opening match Friday, tallying 27 digs against a Santa Clara squad that is receiving votes in the VolleyballMag.com Mid-Major Poll. She followed that with 20 digs in a win over Horizon League preseason favorite Cleveland State and 17 digs in a three-setter against host Butler. Gardner
Vera Giacomazzi, Ohio, Setter
Sophomore - Vendemiano, Italy/Liceo Scientifico G. Marconi
Giacomazzi led Ohio with 72 assists (6.00 per set) and ranked second on the squad with 29 digs (2.42 per set) over three matches last weekend at the Mizzou Invitational in Columbia, Mo., tallying two double-doubles. She logged 21 assists and 11 digs in a five-set loss to Drake on Friday (Sept. 14), then closed the weekend out with a team-high 28 assists and 11 digs in a sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday (Sept. 15).
Abigail Huser, Miami, Libero
Sophomore – Westfield, Indiana/Westfield
Huser had a breakout week after earning the libero shirt for both matches. She set new career-highs in digs in each successive match, finishing with 19 in win over Oakland and 26 in win over Saint Francis. Her 45 digs for weekend averaged out to an impressive 5.62 digs per set. Huser led an impressive Miami defense that held its opponents to a .095 attack percentage over the weekend. That included a .025 attack percentage for Saint Francis.
Miranda Karlen, NIU, Libero
Sophomore – Evansville, Wisconsin/Evansville
Karlen averaged 5.00 digs per set this week over five matches… Had 25 digs and seven assists against Chicago State on Sept. 11… Led all players with 28 digs in five-set match against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 12… Had a match-high 27 digs at Western Kentucky on Sept. 15.
Jaime Kosiorek, Ohio, Outside Hitter
R-Senior – Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston
Kosiorek led Ohio with 14 service aces (1.17 per set) while ranking third in both kills (28; 2.33 per set) and digs (22; 1.83 per set) over three matches last weekend at the Mizzou Invitational in Columbia, Mo. She earned a spot on the All-Mizzou Invitational Team for her efforts. Kosiorek recorded a match-high five service aces to go along with nine kills and 11 digs in a five-set loss to Drake on Friday (Sept. 14). In the weekend finale, she led the match with six service aces and ranked second on the team with nine kills in a sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday (Sept. 15).
Stela Kukoc, Miami, Right Side Hitter
Senior – Highland Park, Illinois/Highland Park
Kukoc was named RedHawk Invitational Tournament MVP after leading Miami to another title at is home tournament. The six-rotation star had a double-double against Oakland, finishing with 10 kills and 11 digs. She made no errors in that match. Her zero attack errors on 26 attempts gave her a hitting-percentage of .385. She also had no reception errors in 26 attempts. Against Saint Francis, Kukoc just missed another double-double with nine kills and 11 digs. She scored 22.5 points in two matches last weekend, an average of 2.81 points per set.
Maurissa Leonard, Toledo, Libero
Senior – Oregon, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy
Averaged 5.40 digs per set over the weekend…Helped Toledo win both of its matches in five sets…Just one reception error in 58 attempts; was perfect in 28 attempts against Youngstown State…Entered the weekend leading the country in digs per set…Tallied a whopping 14 digs in the crucial fourth set against Youngstown State…In the comeback win over Bucknell, she had 15 digs in the final two sets to help the Rockets defeat the Bison.
Isabelle Marciniak, Bowling Green, Setter
Junior – Lambertville, Michigan/Bedford Senior
Isabelle Marciniak averaged 10.5 assists and 2.80 digs per set to lead the Falcons to a 3-0 record and a tournament championship at the BGSU Invitational. Marciniak, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, had 60 assists in the closest match of the weekend, a four-set victory over Marshall. She added 16 digs and two blocks in that victory. In total, she had eight kills and six blocks on the weekend as well.
Simone Miller, Ohio, Middle Blocker
R-Junior – Kalamazoo, Michigan/Kalamazoo Central
Miller led Ohio with 18 total blocks (two solo, 18 assisted; 1.50 per set) over three matches last weekend at the Mizzou Invitational in Columbia, Mo. She set a career high with 10 total blocks (one solo, nine assisted) in a five-set loss to Drake last Friday (Sept. 15).
Andrea Mitrovic, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Sophomore – Mississauga, Ontario/Silverthorne Academy
Sophomore Andrea Mitrovic was named to her fourth straight All-Tournament team, earning those honors at the American Volleyball Classic. She had 53 kills in the three matches, averaging 5.3 kills per set. She began the weekend with 16 kills and three service aces against American and then added 13 kills against nationally-ranked Penn State. In the weekend finale, Mitrovic became just the 10thplayer in school history with a 20/20 match as she had 24 kills and 20 digs in the four-set win over Howard. The 24 kills tied her career high. Mitrovic was extremely efficient as she hit .333 for the weekend, including .406 in the win over American and .389 in the win over Howard.
Mary Murphy, Western Michigan, Setter
Senior – Wilmington, Illinois/Joliet Catholic Academy
Murphy had a stellar weekend at the Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational, averaging 9.36 assists per set to guide the Broncos to a 2-1 record. Murphy’s 9.36 assists per set ranked first amongst all players at the Spartan Invite while her three service aces ranked sixth. Against UAB on Friday, Murphy collected 43 assists, marking the fourth time this season she has had 40 or more assists in a match. Against the Blazers Murphy also matched her career-high with three service aces.
Kathleen Reilly, Western Michigan, Defensive Specialist/Libero
Junior – Overland Park, Kansas/St. James Academy
Reilly was named to the Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational All-Tournament team after registering 4.18 digs per set and five total service aces. Reilly led all players at the invitational with 4.18 digs per set and helped the Broncos go 2-1 with victories over UAB and Albany. On Friday against UAB Reilly led WMU with 21 digs, marking the fifth time this season she has recorded at least 20 digs in a match. Against Michigan State on Saturday, Reilly had 12 digs and registered four service aces. It’s the fifth time this season Reilly has had at least three or more service aces in a match. Reilly leads the Broncos with 257 total digs, averaging 4.94 per set. Heading into the weekend, Reilly ranked third in the MAC in digs per set.
Amber Seaman, Ball State, Setter
Junior – Carmel, Indiana/Brebeuf
Junior setter Amber Seaman helped lead the Ball State offense to a 4-0 record last week and the Tiger Invitational Tournament title by running the offense at a .242 efficiency. She handed out 128 total assists of BSU’s four matches for a 9.14 assist per set average. She also registered her first double-double of the season with 38 assists and 12 digs in the five-set victory over UMBC. Seaman, who also served up five aces last week, averaged 2.00 digs and 1.07 points per set, while hitting .409 (9-0-22) herself. With her 128 assists last week, Seaman continues to rank 10th in program history with 2,547 career assists. A 2017 All-MAC Honorable Mention, Seaman dished out 1,111 assists last season to become just the 11th Ball State setter to record over 1,000 assists in a season. In addition, her 9.95 career assists-per-set average ranks sixth in program history and she is on pace to become only the fifth Cardinal to hand out over 4,000 career assists. Seaman’s five aces on the week raised her career ace total to 78, and she is on pace to become just the 19th player in program history to reach 100 career aces.
Morgan Seaman, Miami, Setter
Sophomore – Carmel, Indiana/ Carmel
Seaman helped lead Miami to the RedHawk Invitational title as part of the 6-2 setter system. She led Miami with 41 assists, an average of 5.12 per set. She also showed her importance to the RedHawk defense, finishing second with 29 digs, an average of 3.62 per set. With Seaman’s help, Miami held its two opponents to a miniscule .095 attack percentage.
Jordan Smith, Eastern Michigan, Outside Hitter
Senior – Solon, Iowa/Solon
Jordan Smith once again proved to be a dynamic offensive force, carrying the Eastern Michigan offense at the Robert Morris Sheraton Invitational over the weekend. The senior led the team with 39 kills, including a weekend-high 19 against tournament host Robert Morris. The outside hitter put up a double-double of 19 kills and 16 digs in that match, bringing her double-double total on the season to three.
Sydnee VanBeek, Ball State, Middle
Junior – St. John, Illinois/Illiana Christian
Junior middle Sydnee VanBeek helped guide the Ball State women’s volleyball team to the Tiger Invitational championship by averaging 2.18 kills and hitting .358 in the tournament’s three matches. In the team’s five-set win over UMBC, VanBeek blasted 10 kills, hit .400 (10-2-20) and also served up a pair of aces. She closed the tournament by leading the Ball State offense with 10 kills and a season-high .625 (10-0-16) attack percentage in the tournament clinching victory over La Salle.
Emily Weingand, Akron, Setter (Sophomore – Burton, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin School)
Taylor Kuruzovich, Akron, Setter (Sophomore – Port Matilda, PA/State College Area)
Jelena Slijepcevic, Akron, Setter (Junior – Ruma, Serbia/Stevan Puzicz | Northwest College)
Sophomores Emily Weigand and Taylor Kuruzovich, in addition to junior Jelena Slijepcevic who subbed in for two sets, had a successful weekend together. The trio combined for a total of 11.14 assists per set over the two-match weekend. In Akron’s 3-1 win over Youngstown State, Weigand and Kuruzovich collected an average of 11.00 assists per set. Slijepcevic subbed in for two of the Zips’ three-set win over Bucknell to add to a total 11.33 assists per set. On the season, Weigand and Kuruzovich are averaging 10.45 assists per set.
Jordan White, Western Michigan, Middle Blocker
R-Freshman – Atlanta, Georgia/Connections Academy
White helped guide the Broncos to a 2-1 record over the weekend at the Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational. White ranked third on the team with 23 kills and was second on the Broncos with 2.56 kills per set. The redshirt freshman was tied for the team lead with 10 blocks (2 solo, 8 assists) on the weekend. In a four-set victory on Friday against UAB, White was dominant registering a career-high 16 kills with a career-high .556 attack percentage. At the Spartan Invitational, White ranked second amongst all players in attack percentage while ranking third overall in blocks and fourth overall in total kills.
