Mid-American Conference

MAC East Offensive Player of the Week
Tia Jimerson, Ohio, Middle Blocker
Sophomore – Sugar Hill, Georgia/Norcross
Sophomore middle blocker Tia Jimerson led the Ohio volleyball team (2-4) last weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge last weekend in Lincoln, Neb., hitting a team-best .409 with a team-high 24 kills (2.67 per game). She also ranked second on the squad with 10 total blocks (10 assisted; 1.11 per set), helping her lead the team with 30 points (3.33 per set). Jimerson hit .429 with eight kills and also chipped in three assisted blocks last Friday (Aug. 31) as the Bobcats fell to Santa Clara, 3-0 (29-27, 25-18, 25-20). On Saturday (Sept. 1), Jimerson tied for the match lead with 11 kills and hit .529 as Ohio swept Wake Forest, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 27-25), to close out the weekend. She also led the match with four assisted blocks.
 
MAC West Offensive Player of the Week
Rachel Bontrager, Western Michigan, Outside Hitter
Sophomore – Valparaiso, Indiana/Valparaiso
Rachel Bontrager helped the Broncos go a perfect 4-0 last week, leading WMU with 68 total kills. At the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational over the weekend, Bontrager guided WMU to the tournament title after registered 57 kills, averaging 4.38 per set. In the three matches, Bontrager recorded two double-doubles against IUPUI and Northern Arizona. In the four-set victory over host school IUPUI on Friday, Bontrager earned her second double-double of the season with 22 kills and 15 digs.   She followed up her performance with another double-double with 21 kills and 14 digs in a five-set victory over Northern Arizona. For her performances over the weekend, Bontrager was named to the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament team. For the season, Bontrager leads WMU with 116 kills and three double-doubles. Heading into the weekend, Bontrager ranked second in the MAC in kills per set and points per set. 
 
MAC East Defensive Player of the Week
Kallie Seimet, Bowling Green, Libero
Senior – Oregon, Ohio/Clay
Kallie Seimet, a senior libero from Oregon, Ohio, was named to the All-Tournament Team this past weekend at the Duquesne Tournament.The Falcons went 2-1 in Pittsburgh in win the tournament. Statistically the best libero in the country last season, Seimet had yet another big weekend, as she averaged 6.44 digs per set, racking up a total of 65 digs on the week. The senior notched 30 digs in just four sets versus Oakland to begin the week and followed up that performance by averaging 8.00 digs per set at Duquesne. To close out the weekend, Seimet posted 31 digs in a win over Youngstown State and 18 digs in a win over UNLV. Seimet is averaging 6.24 digs per set in 2018, which ranks inside the top 20 in the country. 
 
MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Alyssa LaFace, Eastern Michigan, Libero
Senior – Allen Park, Michigan/Allen Park
Alyssa LaFace was named to the Michigan Invitational All-Tournament Team and added another accolade to her resume over Eastern’s 2-1 weekend, tying the record for digs in a four-set match when she put up 37 against Harvard, Sunday, Sept. 2. After spending the first two seasons as a defensive specialist, the senior libero passed the 1,000-dig plateau earlier in the season. She finished with 73 digs on the weekend and had just one reception error on 34 attempts. Her 6.64 digs per set average led the Mid-American Conference for the weekend, while the Allen Park, Mich. native also added eight assists and four aces to her resume, including a season-high six assists against Cleveland State.
 
MAC East Setter of the Week
Morgan Seaman, Miami, Setter
Sophomore – Carmel, Indiana/Carmel
Seaman helped lead Miami to the Saluki Invitational title as part of the 6-2 setter system. She had a team-leading 67 assists, an average of 6.09 per set. She had 28 assists and six digs to help defeat Murray State to open the tournament. Seaman followed that up with a double-double of 18 assists and 13 digs in victory over host Southern Illinois. She had 21 assists to complete the tournament on Saturday as the RedHawks swept Alabama A&M.
 
MAC West Setter of the Week
Mary Murphy, Western Michigan, Setter
Senior – Wilmington, Illinois/Joliet Catholic
Murphy helped the Broncos achieve a perfect 4-0 week and a perfect 3-0 record at the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational to earn the tournament title. Murphy was named the MVP of the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational after registering 10.23 assists per set and recording a double-double with 39 assists and 13 digs on Saturday vs. SIU-Edwardsville. In the five-set victory over Northern Arizona, Murphy neared her another double-double with 51 assists and nine digs. Over the week, Murphy was also integral at the net, registering six blocks as the primary setter. On the year Murphy in seven matches has recorded 253 assists. For her career, Murphy has 3,644 career assists, which ranks as second most all-time in program history. 
 

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Kate Avila, Ball State, Libero
Junior – Yorktown, Indiana/Yorktown
Junior libero Kate Avila notched double-digit digs in all three matches at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational to earn all-tournament honors. She finished the tournament with 51 digs for a 4.64 digs-per-set average. In addition, she only committed one reception error over the two days to lead Ball State's primary passers with a .977 (42-for-43) reception percentage. Her play on defense and solid passing all weekend helped the Cardinals’ offense connect for a .250 (149-50-395) attack percentage over the course of the tournament, including a .469 (44-6-81) rate of success versus Grambling State which was the third-best attack percentage in a match in program history. With double-digit digs in all three matches last weekend, Avila has notched double-digit digs in 35th consecutive matches, and the 64th time in her career. With her 51 digs at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational, Avila also climbed one spot to ninth in program history with 1217 career digs. Her 4.56 career digs-per-set average is fourth on Ball State’s career charts, while her 64 matches with double-figure digs are seventh and her 26 matches with 20-or-more digs are fifth.
 
Grace Balensiefer, NIU, Setter
Freshman – Lafayette, Indiana/McCutcheon
Balensiefer averaged seven assists per set as NIU went 1-3 to close its seven-match homestand… Had 27 assists, eight digs, and three kills in NIU’s sweep of Milwaukee on Aug. 28… Tied season-high with 30 assists against Nevada on Aug. 31, adding 11 digs… Had another double-double against Northern Kentucky on Sept. 1 with 24 assists and career-high 21 digs… Named to Holiday Inn Express Invitational All-Tournament Team.
 
Zoe Birnbrich, Toledo, Middle
Junior – Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman
Career-best 21 kills in the match against George Washington, during which she also hit .415 and tallied five block assists…13 kills and a .579 hitting percentage in the Rockets’ first win of the season against Western Illinois…Has registered at least three total blocks in every match this season and has hit at least .400 in four of Toledo’s six matches.
 
Taylor Daignault, Miami, Libero/OH
Junior - Newark, Ohio/Newark Catholic
Daignault earned her first two career starts at libero and helped lead an incredible defensive effort that led to the RedHawks taking the tournament title at the Saluki Invitational. Miami held its three opponents to a .108 attack percentage over the weekend, including holding host Southern Illinois to a .028 attack percentage with Daignault at libero. Daignault finshed with 45 digs in three matches, an average of 4.09 per set. That included a career-high 25 in the four-set win over Murray State and another 17 digs against Southern Illinois. Serving as an outside hitter in the match against Alabama A&M, Daignault recorded five kills and four digs, attack at a .400 percentage.
 
Carly Townsend, Toledo, Setter
Senior – Germantown, Wisconsin/Germantown
Started UT’s final two matches of the weekend…31 assists and 11 digs in four sets against George Washington…22 assists and 15 digs against Bradley, her second double-double of the weekend…33 assists in three sets against Western Illinois, helping Toledo clinch their first win of the season.
 
Miranda Karlen, NIU, Libero
Freshman – DeKalb, Illinois/DeKalb
Karlen led NIU with 5.21 digs per set as the Huskies went 1-3 this week… Had 13 digs and four assists in Huskies’ sweep of Milwaukee on Tuesday… Recorded 21 digs against Nevada on Aug. 31… Set career-highs with 31 digs, five aces, and eight assists in five-set match against Northern Kentucky on Sept. 1. 
 
Isabel Kovack, Bowling Green, OH
Senior – Zadar, Croatia/Araphoe
Isabel Kovacic was named the Duquesne Tournament Most Valuable Player, as the Falcons went 2-1 on the weekend to win the tournament. Over the three-game tournament, Kovacic posted 37 kills, and averaged 3.08 kills per set and 3.67 points per set. Her weekend was highlighted by a pair of incredible offensive performances. In a five-set match at Duqeusne, the senior for Zadar, Croatia posted 14 kills and hit .357. Later that afternoon in sweep over Youngstown State, Kovacic racked up 16 kills and hit .286. Kovacic also averaged 1.17 blocks per set. On the season, Kovacic leads the Falcons in kills (52) and kills per set (2.48). 
 
Maurissa Leonard, Toledo, Libero
Senior – Oregon, Ohio/St. Ursula
Broke Toledo’s career digs record in the match against George Washington; she now holds UT’s match, single-season, and career dig total records, as well as the season and career digs per set records…Had a season-best 32 digs in the match against GW…17 digs, zero reception errors, and five assists in the three-set sweep of Western Illinois, UT’s first win of the season.
 
Isabelle Marciniak, Bowling Green, Setter
Junior – Lambertville, Michigan/Bedford Senior
Isabelle Marciniak, a junior setter from Lambertville, Mich., played a key role in Bowling Green winning last weekend’s Duquesne Tournament. Marciniak averaged 9.31 assists per set, and twice registered over 40 assists, including a 42-assist effort versus Oakland and a 41-assist match at Duquesne. Marciniak concluded the weekend with a big-time performance against UNLV, as she racked up 26 assists and 17 digs to help lead the Falcons to a come-from-behind win. Steady offensively, the junior also posted 13 kills and hit .293 on the weekend. 
 
Scout McLerran, Buffalo, Setter
Junior – Friendsville, Tennessee/Webb School
Junior setter Scout McLerran recorded 50 assists in 12 sets of action this weekend, capped off by a 50-set performance in UB’s five-set win over St. John’s.  She added 20 assists in playing just two sets against Siena and she had 30 more against Cornell.  McLerran also had 12 kills and 16 digs on the weekend.  She added three solo blocks against the Red Storm. 
 
Simone Miller, Ohio, Middle Blocker
R-Junior – Kalamazoo, Michigan/Kalamazoo Central
Redshirt junior middle blocker Simone Miller led the Ohio volleyball team (2-4) with 11 total blocks (one solo, 10 assisted; 1.22 per set) last weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge in Lincoln, Neb. Miller posted a team-high four assisted blocks in the Bobcats’ 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-17) loss to No. 5 Nebraska on Friday (Aug. 31). Later that day, she led the match with four total blocks (one solo, three assisted) in a 3-0 (29-27, 25-18, 25-20) setback to Santa Clara. Miller closed out the weekend by tying for second on the team with three assisted in blocks in Ohio’s 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 27-25) sweep of Wake Forest.
 
Margaret Payne, Miami, Middle Hitter
Junior – Bloomfield Hills, Michigan/Cranbrook Kingswood
Payne was named the Saluki Invitational MVP after leading the RedHawks to three wins last week. She finished with 30 kills, an average of 2.73 per set and had a .328 attack percentage. Payne also contributed on the block for Miami, finishing with 12, an average of 1.09 blocks per set. She opened the tournament with 10 kills and three blocks in the win over Murray State. She added seven kills and six blocks to help the ‘Hawks take down the host SIU later that night. She saved her best for Miami’s 3-0 win over Alabama A&M on Saturday. Payne finished with 13 kills and a .476 attack percentage in the victory.
 
Polina Prokudina, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Junior – Moscow, Russia/Moglow Secondary
Prokudina paced the UB offense with 34 kills during the three matches.  She had 10 kills against Cornell and the registered the double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs in the five-set win over St. John’s. Prokudina completed the weekend with nine kills and just one error as she hit .533 in an easy three-set win over Siena.  Prokudina also had nine total blocks on the weekend.
 
Kathleen Reilly, Western Michigan, DS/Libero
Junior – Overland Park, Kansas/St. James Academy
Reilly was an integral part of the Broncos going 4-0 on the week and 3-0 on the weekend to win the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational. In three matches over the weekend, Reilly averaged 5.54 digs per set with a career-high 36 digs in a five-set victory over Northern Arizona. Against SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday, Reilly nearly notched a double-double with 16 digs and six assists in the four -et victory. In four contests over the week, Reilly registered 20 or more digs twice. Overall on the season, Reilly ranks first on the team with 140 digs, averaging 5.19 per set. Heading into the week, Reilly ranked sixth in the MAC in digs per set.
 
Ashley Richardson, Akron, MB
Junior – Doylestown, Ohio/Chippewa
Junior middle blocker Ashley Richardson was named to the Akron Invitational All-Tournament team after leading the Zips with a three-match average attacking percentage of .462. Richardson held a team-bests 12 kills and four blocks in Akron’s win over Stony Brook. On the season, the junior leads the team with 14 total blocks. 
 
Amber Seaman, Ball State, Setter
Junior – Carmel, Indiana/Brebeuf
Junior setter Amber Seaman helped guide the Ball State offense to a .250 (149-50-395) attack percentage at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational hosted by Missouri State. She dished out 102 assists over 10 sets played for the Cardinals to average 10.20 assists per set. In the tournament opener versus Grambling State, Seaman helped the Ball State offense turn in one of the most dominating efforts in program history, as the Cardinals connected for a .469 (44-6-81) rate of success which is the third-best attack percentage in a match in program history. The Cardinals followed with a .306 (62-17-147) rate off success in the four-set win over Oral Roberts Saturday morning. Throw in the team’s .385 (48-11-95) effort in the sweep of Marshall (Sept. 25), and Seaman helped guide the Cardinals to an above .300 attack percentage in three straight matches for the first time in the rally scoring era (2001-present). Individually, Seaman raised her career assist total to 2,302 with her 102 helpers over the weekend and is just 48 assists away from breaking into the top 10 in program history. In addition, her 10.01 career assists-per-set average is sixth on Ball State’s career charts.
 
Taylor Sharrits, Akron, DS
Sophomore - Concord, Ohio/Lake Catholic
Sophomore defensive specialist Taylor Sharrits helped the Zips to a 2-1 weekend at the Akron Invitational. She led with 48 digs, 5.33 digs per set. Sharrits was error free on 39 reception attempts. She posted double-digit digs in all three matches, including a weekend-high of 24 digs to help the Zips to a 3-0 victory over Stony Brook. 
 
Danie Tyson, Kent State, Middle Blocker
Freshman – South Holland, Illinois/Chicago Christian
Danie Tyson put on an historic performance by hitting .800 (12-0-15) in the final match of the Golden Flashes Classic against Niagara to earn All-Tournament Team honors for the second time in as many weeks. Tyson’s .800 clip is the best ever recorded by a Kent State freshman and the 3rd-highest in program history overall (min. 10 attempts). Entering the weekend, no Division I player had hit better than .778 on 15-19 attempts this season. Tyson recorded a hitting percentage above .500 in 2 of the Flashes’ 4 matches during the week, posting a .542 mark along with career-highs in kills (13), blocks (8) and points (18.0) in a mid-week match against previously-unbeaten Youngstown State. Overall, she hit .464 over four matches with only 3 errors on 69 swings. Tyson led Kent State with 47.5 points (3.39/set), 35 kills (2.50/set) and 16 total blocks (1.14/set).
 
Sydnee VanBeek, Ball State, Middle 
Junior – St. John, Illinois/Illiana Christian
Junior middle Sydnee VanBeek led the offensive charge for the Cardinals at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational, earning all-tournament honors after blasting 40 total kills and hitting .419 (40-9-74) over the three matches. She logged a career-high 20 kills in Saturday's morning win over Oral Roberts and hit an impressive .500 (20-2-36) for the match. In Friday’s win over Grambling State, VanBeek posted an even more impressive attacking number, connecting for a .579 (13-2-19) rate of success to help Ball State hit .469 (44-6-81) as a team which is the third-best attack percentage in a match in program history. VanBeek was also impressive on defense, leading the Cardinals with 10 total blocks on the weekend, including a season-high six total blocks (two solo and four assists) against Missouri State. She also collected 11 digs on the weekend and turned in a .952 (20-for-21) reception percentage. Also led the Ball State defense with 10 total blocks on the weekend.
 
Megan Wernette, Buffalo, Middle Blocker
Senior – Naperville, Illinois/Naperville North
Senior middle blockers Megan Wernette was named to the All-Tournament team at the Cornell Invitational after leading the Bulls to a 2-1 record.  She finished with 16 total blocks over the three matches, averaging 1.23 blocks per set.  She opened the weekend with a nine-block performance against Cornell and then had four blocks in a five-set win over St. John’s. She added three more blocks in the three-set win over Siena. Offensively, Wernette also hit .423 as she had 27 kills and just five errors all weekend.