Mid-American Conference

MAC East Offensive Player of the Week
Avarie Powell, Miami, Middle Hitter
Junior – Middletown, Indiana/New Castle
Avarie Powell’s breakout season continued as she put down 25 kills in only six sets, an average of 4.17 kills per set. She made only four errors in 38 attempts for an incredible .553 attack percentage. It started in Miami’s three-set sweep over Buffalo. Powell put down 12 kills and had a .588 attack percentage. She was the bright spot in the Akron match as well, leading the RedHawks with 13 kills and a .524 attack percentage. Powell had two block assists on the weekend and finished with 26 points, an average of 4.33 per set.
 
MAC West Offensive Player of the Week
Allison Hamaker, Ball State, Opposite
Freshman – Lombard, Illinois/Glenbard East
Freshman opposite Allison Hamaker averaged 3.86 kills per set and hit an astonishing .447 (27-6-47) to help lead the Cardinals to a pair of Mid-American Conference wins last weekend. In Friday’s sweep of NIU, Hamaker blasted nine kills and hit .412 (9-2-17) to help Ball State record a season-high .387 (50-9-106) team attack percentage in the match. She was also credited with a pair of block assists in the win. In Saturday’s four-set victory over Western Michigan, Hamaker smashed a career-high 19 kills and connected at a .500 (19-4-30) clip. She also registered two digs in the victory.
 
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 over this past weekend, defeating Buffalo on Saturday after falling short against Akron on Friday. Friday against the Zips, Walz registered 27 digs to lead the team. Against Buffalo, Walz totaled 14 digs while also logging two service aces, leading to a team total of nine in the 3-0 sweep. 
 
MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Megan Kern, Central Michigan, Libero
Senior – LaGrange, Illinois/Lyons Township
Senior libero Megan Kern continued to pave the way on defense this past week as the Chippewas extended their win streak to nine games and improved to 4-0 to begin MAC play with wins over Eastern Michigan and Kent State. The LaGrange, Ill., native racked up 42 digs over the two-game stretch to lead the team. On Thursday’s 3-1 road win over the Eagles, Kern had 16 digs to go along with two service aces. She finished with a team-high 26 digs and an ace in Saturday’s 3-1 home victory over the Golden Flashes. CMU is now 14-2 on the 2019 campaign with Kern leading the team in digs with 301 (5.19/set) which ranks No.4 in the league. 
 
MAC East Setter of the Week
Emily Weigand, Akron, Setter
Junior – Burton, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin School
Emily Weigand did a good job of spreading the ball out to her hitters this weekend, finishing with 67 assists between two matches. She averaged 9.57 assists per set, while adding 6 kills and double-digit digs in both matches which propelled Akron to another 2-0 week in conference play. 
 
MAC West Setter of the Week
Amber Seaman, Ball State, Setter
Senior – Carmel, Indiana/Brebeuf
Senior setter Amber Seaman had the Cardinals firing on all cylinders last weekend, leading the team to a .284 (113-31-289) attack percentage and a 2-0 record in MAC play. Seaman started the weekend by leading the Ball State offense to a season-best .387 (50-9-106) rate of success in a sweep of Northern Illinois Friday night. The reigning MAC Setter of the Year, Seaman dished out 43 assists in the match and added three kills of her own. She followed by guiding the Cardinals to a .224 (63-22-183) rate of success in a four-set victory over Western Michigan Friday. She handed out 48 assists in the win, while scoring four kills and adding nine digs. For the week, Seaman averaged 13.00 assists per set and had the offense connecting for 16.14 kills per set. She also served up five of Ball State’s eight service aces and averaged 1.57 digs per set. 

 
Other Nominees
Alexis Adleta, Akron, Outside Hitter
Junior – West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East
Adleta’s strong offensive performance helped lead the way to two conference wins this past week for Akron. She finished with 25 kills and a .337 hitting percentage between the two matches, including at .474 hitting percentage against preseason MAC East favorite Miami.  She also added 3 aces, which helped contribute to her 4.29 points per set on the week.
 
Jacqueline Askin, Bowling Green, Outside Hitter
Junior – Lousiville, Kentucky/Assumption
Bowling Green junior Jacqueline Askin led the Falcons in kills on Friday night in a 3-1 loss to Akron, tallying 15 over the four sets. Askin chipped in an assist and an ace along with six digs in the match. As for Saturday in the 3-0 sweep over Buffalo, Askin again led the Falcons in kills, totaling 13, including having six in just the first set. Additionally, she tied her season-high for service aces in a match with three. 
 
Kate Avila, Ball State, Libero
Senior – Yorktown, Indiana/Yorktown
Senior libero Kate Avila turned in another solid weekend in the Ball State backcourt, averaging a team-best 4.86 digs per set and posting a perfect reception percentage to help the Cardinals earn a pair of league wins last weekend. In Friday’s sweep of NIU, Avila collected 12 digs and successfully passed all 12 serves she faced. She followed with a team-high 22 digs and another perfect reception percentage on 15 attempts in the four-set win over Western Michigan. With double-digit digs in both matches last weekend, Avila took over the top spot in program history with 102 career matches with 10-or-more digs. She also raised her career digs total to 1,934, leaving her three shy of taking over the third spot on Ball State’s all-time digs list.
 
Grace Balensiefer, NIU, Setter
Sophomore – Lafayette, Indiana/McCutcheon
Balensiefer averaged over 12 assists per set as NIU split matches at Ball State and Toledo… Had 35 assists and five digs at Ball State Friday night… Posted a double-double with 50 assists and 10 digs in the Huskies’ 3-1 win at Toledo, adding four kills, four blocks, and an ace… Is averaging 11.33 assists per set in MAC play.
 
Megan Beasley, Toledo, Setter
Sophomore - Indianapolis, Indiana/Lawrence North
Megan Beasley averaged 10.4 assists/set last weekend in matches against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. She tallied 29 in the three-set contest against the Broncos and tied a career-high with 44 in the four-set match against the Huskies. She also added a career-best 13 digs against NIU, giving her her second double-double on the season. Beasley’s 9.49 assists/set rank fifth in the MAC.
 
Zoe Birnbrich, Toledo, Middle Blocker
Senior – Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman
Zoe Birnbrich led Toledo offensively last weekend with 3.43 kills/set and hit .396 across two matches against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. Against the Huskies, she recorded a match-high 16 kills and hit .520. Birnbrich added eight kills and two solo blocks in the contest against the Broncos the night before. The .520 hitting percentage against NIU marked the fifth time this season she has hit at least .500 in a match.
 
Rachel Bontrager, Western Michigan, Outside Hitter
Junior – Valparaiso, Indiana/Valparaiso
On the road, junior Rachel Bontrager continue her streak of seven straight matches of double-digit kills, posting 14 at Toledo and 17 at Ball State. Against Toledo, Bontrager nearly matched her career-high with a .414 attack percentage and nearly notched a double-double with 14 kills and eight digs. The junior outside hitter in the sweep of the Rockets also had four assists, one block and one service ace. Against Ball State, Bontrager earned her team-high sixth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 10 digs. The Valparaiso, Ind., native also have two blocks against the Cardinals. Bontrager leads the Broncos with 235 kills and heading into the weekend leading the MAC with 3.85 kills per set. 
 
Kendall Braate, Central Michigan, Setter (Sophomore – Byron Center, Michigan/Byron Center)
Grace Butler, Central Michigan, Setter (Junior – Hawthorn Hills, Illinois/Carmel Central)
In another stellar week for the Chippewas’ 6-2 setter pairing, junior Grace Butler and sophomore Kendall Braate helped propel CMU to their ninth consecutive win and a 4-0 start to MAC play with victories over Eastern Michigan and Kent State. Butler, a Hawthorn Woods, Ill., native led the Chippewas with 50 assists (6.25/set) finishing with 22 in Thursday’s 3-1 road win over the Eagles and 28 in Saturday’s 3-1 home win over the Golden Flashes. Braate, a Byron Center, Mich., native totaled 40 assists (5.00/set) for the week and also chipped in on defense with 20 digs over the two-game stretch. On the season, Braate leads the team and ranks No.8 in the conference averaging 7.55 assist per set. 
 
Raeven Chase, Eastern Michigan, Middle Blocker/Right Side
R-Freshman – Toronto, Ontario/Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic
Redshirt freshman Raeven Chase was incredible for the Eagles in their two games against Central Michigan, Oct. 3, and Ohio, Oct. 5. After a four-kill, seven-block performance against CMU, Chase erupted against Ohio, racking up 15 kills in 17 attempts, making zero errors, and hitting at an incredible .882 clip. Chase made just one reception error during the two-game weekend stretch, averaged 2.62 kills per set, and compiled a .545 hitting percentage. The Toronto native also chipped in 3.38 points per set for Eastern Michigan.
 
Rose Duffy, Western Michigan, Setter (Senior – Fishers, Indiana/Fishers)
Mary Marzo, Western Michigan, Setter (Junior – La Grange, Illinois/Gonzaga)
Duffy led the Broncos over the weekend with 42 assists, averaging 6.00 per set. Duffy notched back-to-back double-digit assist performances earning 13 assists in the sweep of Toledo and 29 in the four-set loss at Ball State. It was Duffy’s ninth and tenth double-digit assist match of the season while also recording five digs, two blocks and three kills at Ball State. With 29 assists at Ball State, the freshman setter now has six matches with over 20 assists this season. Against Toledo on Friday, Duffy nearly registered a double-double with 13 assists to go along with nine digs. Marzo ranked second on the team over the weekend with 36 assists as part of a 6-2 offense. Marzo averaged 7.20 assists per set in the four-set loss at Ball State and a sweep of Toledo. Marzo against the Rockets nearly recorded a double-double with 24 assists and nine digs while also have two service aces. In two sets played at Ball State, Marzo eclipsed double digit assists with 12 while also have one digs. Marzo has earned double-digit assists in every match this season and had recorded over 20 assists in eight of the 16 matches played.
 
Erin Gardner, Kent State, Libero
Sophomore – Avon, Ohio/Avon
Erin Gardner averaged 5.00 digs per set during the second weekend of Mid-American Conference competition. Gardner posted 21 digs Saturday at Central Michigan for her 11th match of the season with at least 20 digs.
 
Vera Giacomazzi, Ohio, Setter
Junior – San Vendemiano, Italy/Liceo Scientific G. Marconi
Junior setter Vera Giacomazzi dished out 90 total assists last weekend and helped Ohio hit .254 as a team. In Ohio’s three-set win over Kent State, The Bobcats hit a scorching .323 while Giacomazzi dished out 36 assists. Ohio had 42 team kills in the win. Giacomazzi had her sixth 50+ assist match of the seson when she put up 54 helpers against Eastern Michigan. 
 
Abigail Huser, Miami, Libero
Junior – Westfield, Indiana/Westfield
Huser led the Miami defense as the team’s libero during both matches for Miami this past weekend. She had 24 digs in only six sets, an average of 4.00 digs per set. Huser tied for the team lead with 13 digs and helped the defense hold Buffalo to only a .110 attack percentage in the three-set sweep. She was able to get another 11 digs against Akron.
 
Tia Jimerson, Ohio, Middle Hitter
Junior – Sugar Hill, Georgia/Norcross
Junior middle blocker Tia Jimerson was phenomenal in both of Ohio’s matches last weekend. In Ohio’s sweep of Kent State, Jimerson had 11 kills and did not commit an error while hitting a career-high .733. Jimerson added four blocks (one solo, three assists) in the win. Against EMU on Saturday, Jimerson had 18 kills – one off her season-high – and hit .355 with three blocks. Jimerson averaged 4.14 kills per set and .478 over the weekend. 
 
Miranda Karlen, NIU, Libero
Junior – Evansville, Wisconsin/Evansville
Karlen averaged 4.57 digs per match as NIU split matches at Ball State and Toledo. Had a match-high 19 digs in the Huskies’ 3-1 win at Toledo Saturday night. Karlen has had double-digit digs in 11 of the last 12 matches.
 
Melissa Kolurbasi, Kent State, Opposite
Sophomore – Istanbul, Turkey/ Anabilim Anatolian
Melissa Kolurbasi led the Kent State offense with 3.07 points per set during the second weekend of Mid-American Conference competition. Kolurbasi totaled 20 kills (2.86 per set) and a .231 hitting percentage. She had a match-high 15 kills Saturday at Central Michigan.
 
Kathleen Reilly, Western Michigan, Defensive Specialist/Libero
Senior – Overland Park, Kansas/St, James Academy
Senior Kathleen Reilly spearheaded the Bronco defense over the weekend en route to a split, defeating Toledo in three sets and falling to Ball State in four sets. Reilly earned double digit digs in both matches and has now done so in every match this season. In the sweep of Toledo, Reilly led the way with 16 digs to go along with two service aces, four assists and just her second kill of the season. At Ball State, Reilly registered 32 digs, marking the third time this season she has done so. With the 32 digs, Reilly was a mere four shy of eclipsing her career-high of 36 set back in 2018 against Northern Arizona. 
 
Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez, Central Michigan, Middle Blocker
Junior – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Arizona Western CC
Junior middle blocker Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez helped lead the Chippewas offense in another stellar week as they collected their ninth-straight victory and improved to 4-0 in MAC play with wins over Eastern Michigan and Kent State. In Thursday’s 3-1 victory over the Eagles, the Santo Domingo, D.R., native posted a team-high .476 attack percentage while finishing with 12 kills to go along with two solo blocks. She finished with seven kills in Saturday’s 3-1 home victory over the Golden Flashes to go along with a team-high three services aces and two solo blocks. On the season Rosario-Martinez leads the Chippewas in attack percentage (.332) and ranks No.5 in the conference. 
 
Taylor Sharrtis, Akron, Defensive Specialist
Junior – Concord, Ohio/Lake Catholic
Sharrits played stellar defense in the Zips’ two conference wins this week, finishing with a combined 33 digs between the two matches, averaging 4.71 digs a set. She also added 11 assists and two aces, which helped propel Akron to a 2-0 record on the week. 
 
Frankie Strefling, Eastern Michigan, Outside Hitter
Junior – Niles, Michigan/Buchanan
Junior Franki Strefling was instrumental in helping lead Eastern Michigan to its first Mid-American Conference win of the season, against the hard-to-beat Ohio University Bobcats, Saturday, Oct. 5. In four sets against Ohio, Strefling racked up one ace, five blocks, and 24 digs, all season-bests for the junior out of Niles, Mich. Strefling also added 13 kills in the match. For the weekend, which included the match against Ohio, and a Thursday night, Oct. 3, feature against Central Michigan, Strefling tallied 30 kills, 38 digs, and seven blocks. Additionally, the third-year Eagle made just four reception errors in 69 total attempts. She averaged 4.75 digs per set, 3.75 kills per set, and 4.38 points per set for the two matches. Strefling ranks inside the MAC’s top-10 in kills and points. 
 
Riley Taylor, Eastern Michigan, Setter
Senior – Indianapolis, Indiana/Perry Meridian
Senior Riley Taylor was unbelievable for the Eagles in their two games against Central Michigan, Oct. 3, and Ohio, Oct. 5. Against CMU, Taylor put together a season-best performance that included a whopping 47 assists, by far the most of any player in the match (from either squad). Just two days later, against Ohio, Taylor was even more impressive, as she tallied 49 more assists. In total, the Indianapolis native racked up 96 assists over two weekend matches, good for a 12.0 assist per set average. Taylor ranks inside the MAC’s top-10 in assists this year and leads all Eagles in the category.
 
Peyton Tilly, Northern Illinois, Middle Blocker
Freshman – Barrington, Illinois/Barrington
Tilly led NIU with 3.29 kills per set as the Huskies split matches at Ball State and Toledo. Hit a season-high .281 with 15 kills in the Huskies 3-1 win at Toledo Saturday night. Tilly is averaging 3.47 kills per set since the start of MAC play.