Volleyball Announces Week 9 Athletes of the Week
MAC East Offensive Player of the Week
Avarie Powell, Miami, Right Side Hitter
Junior – Middletown, Indiana/New Castle
Junior middle hitter Avarie Powell led an extremely efficient Miami offense in a pair of big 3-0 sweeps over the weekend. She had 22 kills in only six sets, an average of 3.67 kills per set. Powell made only two errors in 35 attempts for an incredible attack percentage of .571. On Friday against Ball State, Powell had 10 kills and a .474 attack percentage. She was even better against Toledo on Saturday, finishing with 12 kills and a .688 attack percentage. Powell also contributed three block assists, scoring a total of 23.5 points in the two matches, an average of 3.92 points per set.
MAC West Offensive Player of the Week
Rachel Bontrager, Western Michigan, Outside Hitter
Junior – Valparaiso, Indiana/Valparaiso
Bontrager led the Broncos over the weekend to a 1-1 record in a pair of five-set matches, defeating Ohio on Friday before falling to Kent State on Saturday. Bontrager led the Broncos both matches in kills including a season-high 24 kill performance against Kent State. The 24 kills were one shy of her career-high set back in 2017. Bontrager has now recorded double-digit kills in a career-high 13 straight matches. Against the Golden Flashes, Bontrager also nearly had her ninth double-double of the season with 24 kills and nine digs. Bontrager’s 43 kills in two matches is the most in a two-match span this season. The junior outside hitter also became the first Bronco this season to eclipse the 300-kill mark and is at 335 for the season. Bontrager is 125 kills away from ranking 10th in school history for kills in a single season.
MAC East Defensive Player of the Week
Julia Walz, Bowling Green, Libero
Sophomore – Brooklyn, Ohio/Brooklyn
Bowling Green sophomore Julia Walz led the Falcons in digs in both matches this past weekend, serving as the team’s libero in both as well. In a win over rival Toledo Friday, Walz totaled 24 digs, including 16 receptions without an error. As for Saturday, Walz upped her dig total to 31, marking the fifth time this season she has surpassed the 30-dig mark and fourth time this season she had finished with 31. On the year, Walz’s average digs per set place her in the top 12 nationally.
MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Miranda Karlen, NIU, Libero
Junior – Evansville, Wisconsin/Evansville
Karlen averaged 5.50 digs per set this week as NIU defeated both Kent State and Ohio in four sets… The junior libero led both matches in digs, collecting 23 against Kent State and 21 against Ohio… Karlen has had at least 20 digs in five of the last six matches… She has also had two aces in each of the last three matches.
MAC East Setter of the Week
Morgan Seaman, Miami, Setter (Junior – Carmel, Indiana/Carmel)
Louise Comerford, Miami, Setter (Sophomore – Belleville, Illinois/Althoff Catholic)
Miami’s 6-2 setter combination of junior Morgan Seaman and sophomore Louise Comerford combined to help Miami to a pair of dominating sweeps over the weekend. They combined for 84 assists in only six sets, an impressive average of 14.0 sets per attempt. They led the RedHawk offense to a .317 attack percentage for the weekend. Seaman had 44 assists in the two matches, an average of 7.33 assists per set. That includes 28 assists in a sweep of Ball State on Friday. Defensively, Seaman had 14 digs on the week, an average of 2.33 digs per set. Comerford recorded 28 assists over the weekend, an average of 4.67 assists per set. She also contributed eight digs and had four service aces, including three in the sweep of Toledo on Saturday.
MAC West Setter of the Week
Grace Balensiefer, NIU, Setter
Sophomore – Lafayette, Indiana/McCutcheon
Balensiefer averaged 11.00 assists per set this week as NIU defeated both Kent State and Ohio in four sets at Victor E. Court. The sophomore had 46 assists and seven digs in the Huskies’ 3-1 win over the Golden Flashes Friday night, adding a block and an ace. NIU hit a season-high .354 in its win over Kent State. On Saturday night, Balensiefer had her sixth double-double of the year with 42 assists and 13 digs as NIU beat Ohio 3-1.
Other Nominees
Kate Avila, Ball State, Libero
Senior – Yorktown, Indiana/Yorktown
Ball State women's volleyball senior libero Kate Avila entered Saturday's match versus Bowling Green needing three digs to become just the third player in program history to reach the 2,000-career mark. She got those early in the first set and never looked back, registering a career-high 38 digs to lead a solid defensive effort for the Cardinals in an evening match up versus the Falcons. Avila, who also had a pair of aces and a perfect reception percentage in 21 attempts, finished the night with 2,035 career digs. The Yorktown, Indiana native set herself up for Saturday’s historical moment by collecting 11 digs one night earlier versus Bowling Green. She also passed 19 of the 20 serves she faced in that match. For the week, Avila averaged 6.12 digs per set and earned a .976 reception percentage.
Kendall Braate, Central Michigan, Setter (Sophomore – Byron Center, Michigan/Byron Center)
Grace Butler, Central Michigan, Setter (Junior – Hawthorn Hills, Illinois/Carmel Central)
Central Michigan 6-2 setter pairing Grace Butler and Kendall Braate continued to set the tone for the offense this past week as the Chippewas the Chippewas split their MAC matchups with a 3-0 victory over Akron on Friday before falling to Buffalo, 3-2 on Saturday. Bulter, a junior from Hawthorn Woods, Ill., led the Chippewas this weekend with 38 total assists (4.75/Set). During Friday’s sweep of the Zips she paced the team with 19 assists followed it up with another 19 during Saturday’s five-set loss to Buffalo. Braate, sophomore from Byron Center, Mich., finished the weekend with 37 assists (4.62/set). She had 14 assists on Friday and led the team with 23 on Saturday.
Taylor Daignault, Miami, Outside Hitter
Senior – Newark, Ohio/Newark Catholic
Despite playing all six rotations, senior outside hitter Taylor Daignault made her presence felt on the defensive side in a pair of sweeps this weekend. She led all RedHawks with 30 digs in only six sets, an average of 5.00 digs per set. Daignault started with 16 digs in the straight set victory over Ball State on Friday. She followed up with 14 digs to lead Miami on Saturday. Up front, she helped defensively with a pair of blocks in the two contests. Daignault also put down 10 kills and had a .290 attack percentage over the weekend. She scored 11.5 points, an average 1.92 points per set.
Rose Duffy, Western Michigan, Setter
Freshman – Fishers, Indiana/Fishers
It was a stellar weekend for Rose Duffy who totaled 98 assists in two matches, averaging 9.80 per set as the Broncos went 1-1 in a pair of five-set matches. In the five-set victory on Friday against Ohio, Duffy recorded 47 assists to go along with nine digs and five kills. The 47 assists at the moment was one shy of her career high. Duffy followed up her performance with her seventh double-double of the season on Saturday, registering a career-high 51 assists along with 10 digs. Duffy has now recorded over 40 assists in each of the last four matches and has done so in six matches this year. Duffy now leads the Broncos with 528 assists this season, averaging 6.00 per set.
Alex Haffner, Kent State, Setter
R-Sophomore – Lee’s Summit, Missouri/Lee’s Summit North
Alex Haffner averaged 12.0 assists per set while running a Kent State offense that posted a .316 hitting percentage this past weekend. Haffner had 50 assists as the Golden Flashes recorded a season-high .350 hitting percentage at Northern Illinois on Friday. She added a season-best 58 assists against Western Michigan on Saturday. Haffner also totaled 13 digs and nine kills over the two matches.
Jasmine Kemp, NIU, Middle Blocker
Sophomore – DeKalb, Illinois/DeKalb
Jasmine Kemp averaged 3.56 points this weekend as NIU earned four-set wins over Kent State and Ohio at Victor E. Court. The sophomore middle blocker averaged 1.74 kills and 1.25 blocks per set over the weekend. On Friday night, Kemp hit .375 with seven kills and a match-high five blocks as NIU defeated Kent State 3-1. Kemp led the NIU offense Saturday night with a career-high 15 kills, hitting .464 with another five blocks. Seven of her 15 kills came in the deciding fourth set. It was her seventh match this season in which Kemp hit .400 or better.
Abby Leigh, Buffalo, Middle Blocker
Freshman – Strongsville, Ohio/Padua Franciscan
Freshman Abby Leigh had another strong weekend at the net as she led the Bulls in blocking, averaging 1.63 blocks per set. She began the weekend with five block assists on Thursday night in a three-set match against Eastern Michigan and she followed that up with eight blocks in Buffalo’s five-set win at Central Michigan, notching a pair of solos.
Isabelle Marciniak, Bowling Green, Setter
Senior – Lambertville, Michigan/Bedford Senior
Senior Isabelle Marciniak notched her eighth double-double of the season on Friday against rival Toledo, totaling 32 assists and 10 digs while also adding an ace to her line. Marciniak followed up on Saturday with another near double-double, recording 39 assists and nine digs. With 71 digs on the weekend, she shattered the 3,500-career assist mark, ending the weekend with a total of 3,536, placing her less than 250 assists away from second all-time in program history.
Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez, Central Michigan, Middle Blocker
Junior – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Arizona Western CC
Central Michigan junior middle blocker Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez put together another strong offensive showing this past weekend as the Chippewas split their MAC matchups with a 3-0 victory over Akron on Friday before falling to Buffalo, 3-2 on Saturday. The Santo Domingo, D.R. native put up and impressive .615 hitting percentage in Friday’s sweep of the Zips. She tallied seven kills with a .294 attack percentage in Saturday’s five-set loss to the Bulls. Rosario-Martinez finished the weekend with 15 kills and .433 hitting percentage.
Savannah Matthews, Kent State, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Mahomet, Illinois/Mahomet Seymour
Savannah Matthews posted her two top offensive performances in conference play and averaged 4.39 points per set to lead Kent State to a 1-1 road weekend. Matthews totaled a career-high 21 kills, the most by a Golden Flashes attacker since the 2016 season, in a crucial victory at Western Michigan on Saturday. The previous night, she hit .371 with 17 kills against Northern Illinois.
Scout McLerran, Buffalo, Setter
Senior – Friendsville, Tennessee/Webb School
Senior Scout McLerran led the Bulls to a 1-1 weekend on the road, helping direct a 3-2 comeback at Central Michigan on Saturday evening. McLerran had 53 assists in the match against the Chippewas as the Bulls overcame a 2-0 deficit. She also added 11 digs and a solo block. McLerran had 24 assets on Thursday night at Eastern Michigan and a pair of blocks.
Katelyn Meyer, Bowling Green, Outside Hitter
Sophomore – Pemberville, Ohio/Eastwood
Bowling Green sophomore Katelyn Meyer logged her second 20-kill match of her career on Saturday against Ball State, hitting the mark exactly while maintaining a .250 hitting percentage on 64 attempts. In addition to the 20 kills, Meyer added four block assists, a season-high for her. As for Friday against Toledo, Meyer was one of two Falcons to notch double-digit kills, ending the night with 14 in the win.
Rhyen Neal, Toledo, Libero
Junior – Yorktown, Indiana/Yorktown
Rhyen Neal averaged 5.29 digs/set last weekend in matches against Bowling Green and Miami. She tallied 25 digs against the Falcons and 12 in the match against the RedHawks. In the four-set contest against BGSU, she did all she could to keep the Rockets alive, registering seven digs in the third set and 11 in the fourth. Neal has five matches with at least 20 digs this season, three of which have come in the last five matches.
Polina Prokudina, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Senior – Moscow, Russia
Senior Polina Prokudina led the Bulls offensive this past week as Buffalo split a pair of matches on the road. On Thursday night, Prokudina was UB’s best option at Eastern Michigan as she finished with 13 kills and just two errors, hitting .423 for the evening. Prokudina then was one of two UB players to finish with 20 kills as the Bulls came back on Saturday evening to defeat league-leading Central Michigan on the road, 3-2. In addition to her 20 kills, Prokudina added 13 digs and three blocks against the Chippewas.
Kathleen Reilly, Western Michigan, Defensive Specialist/Libero
Senior – Overland Park, Kansas/St. James
Defensively the Broncos were led by Kathleen Reilly en route to a 1-1 weekend in a pair of five-set matches. Reilly led the Broncos in both matches over the weekend with 32 digs in a five-set victory over Ohio and a 25-dig performance against Kent State. Against Ohio, Reilly’s 32 digs marked the fourth match this season in which she has recorded over 30 digs. Entering the weekend, Reilly ranked 13th in the NCAA in total digs and improved her season total to 479. Reilly is 52 digs away from reaching the top 10 for most digs in a season in school history. Reilly already ranks third in program history in career digs.
Ashley Richardson, Akron, Middle Blocker
Senior – Doylestown, Ohio/Chippewa
Ashley Richardson had a strong weekend at offensively and defensively at the net for the Zips. In the match against first-place CMU, she finished with 10 kills and a .207 hitting percentage. She followed that up with a dominant performance against EMU, as she finished 16 kills to just 4 errors, good enough for a .343 hitting percentage. To add onto that, she added nine block assists on defense. In total, she finished with 26 kills and 11 blocks on the weekend.
Natalie Risi, Ball State, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Clarkston, Mich./Notre Dame Preparatory
Freshman Natalie Risi smashed a career-high 25 kills Saturday versus Bowling Green, becoming just the fifth freshman in program history to register 20-or-more kills in a match in the rally scoring era (2001-present). In addition, Risi’s 25 kills are the most for a Ball State player since Kelsey Brandl registered 25 at Toledo on Oct. 7, 2010.
Camille Schomer, Eastern Michigan, Libero
Senior, Rochester, Michigan/Oakland Christian
enior libero Camille Schomer had an impressive two-game weekend for the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team as it split a pair of home matches against Buffalo, Oct. 24, and Akron, Oc. 26. After an eight-dig performance to open the weekend, the Rochester, Mich. native tallied an incredible 28 digs against Akron. Additionally, Schomer had just one reception error in 25 attempts on the weekend. Schomer’s points per set ratio for the weekend outpaces her season average, while her error per set ratio came in at a lower-than-average mark.
Amber Seaman, Ball State, Setter
Senior – Carmel, Indiana/Brebeuf
The reigning MAC Setter of the Year and a six-time career MAC Setter of the Week honoree, Ball State senior setter Amber Seaman did something she have never done before in her career Saturday night versus Bowling Green, as she dished out a career-high 62 assists versus the Falcons. It’s the first time in her career Seaman has passed out over 57 assists in a match, with the total ranking as the third-mosts assists in a match in the MAC this season.
She also dished out 31 assists versus Miami, giving her 93 on the weekend for an 11.62 assist-per-set average.
Taylor Sharrtis, Akron, Defensive Specialist
Junior – Concord, Ohio/Lake Catholic
Taylor Sharrits continues to pace the back-row defense well. She finished with 34 digs and 6 assists on the weekend, good enough for 4.86 digs per set, her highest weekend average of the season.
Franki Strefling, Eastern Michigan, Outside Hitter
Junior – Niles, Michigan/Buchanan
Junior Franki Strefling turned in a pair of solid weekend performances against Buffalo, Oct. 24, and Akron, Oct. 26, respectively. The Niles, Mich. native hit for an impressive .389 average against the Bulls, leading EMU to a straight-set conference win. Against Akron, Strefling complied 15 kills, and 26 digs, helping the Eagles battle in a four-set affair with the Zips. In all, the junior racked up 24 kills, and 35 digs on the weekend.
Riley Taylor, Eastern Michigan, Setter
Senior – Indianapolis, Indiana/Perry Meridian
Senior Riley Taylor, the reigning MAC West Setter of the Week, turned in another impressive set of performances against Buffalo, Oct. 24, and Akron, Oct. 26. Taylor racked up an impressive 26 assists with zero errors in a straight-set victory over the bulls. Against Akron, Oct. 26, the Indianapolis native charted 43 assists, good for a 10.7 assist per set ratio in the match.
Emily Weigand, Akron, Setter
Junior – Burton, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin School
Emily Weigand had a solid weekend distributing the ball this weekend. She totaled 69 assists on the weekend, while adding 5 kills and two blocks. She had a strong performance against EMU, averaging 11 assists per set while hitting .500 with no errors in the match.
Maddie Whitfield, Central Michigan University, MB
Sophomore - Saline, Michigan/Saline
Central Michigan sophomore middle blocker Maddie Whitfield had another solid weekend at the net as the Chippewas split their home weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Akron on Friday before falling to Buffalo in five set on Saturday. The Saline, Mich., native had four blocks during Friday’s straight set win over the zips to go along with a .667 hitting percentage and eight kills. Whitfield then posted nine blocks during Saturday’s loss to the Bulls while finishing with five kills. She ended the weekend with 13 kills, 13 blocks and .346 hitting percentage.
