Mid-American Conference

MAC East Offensive Player of the Week
Ashley Richardson, Akron, Middle Hitter
Senior – Doylestown, Ohio/Chippewa
Ashley Richardson was outstanding in the middle for the Zips on both sides of the ball at the Akron Invitational. She finished the weekend with 30 kills to just 1 error, compiling a .524 hitting percentage on the weekend. The senior also compiled 11 blocks, 4 of which were solo. Her performance this weekend was highlighted by Akron’s match against Seton Hall, in which she totaled 13 kills and 0 errors.
 
MAC West Offensive Player of the Week
Chloee Kleespies, Toledo, Outside Hitter
Junior – Lincoln University, PA/Avon Grove
Chloee Kleespies tallied double-digit kills in all three, three-set matches this weekend and hit .346 at the Wright State Tournament. In wins over Western Illinois and Indiana State, she hit .429 and .421, respectively, and combined for 29 kills. Kleespies currently sits third in the MAC at 3.23 kills/set and her 16 kills in the win over Indiana State are tied for the most of any MAC player in a three-set match this season.
 
MAC East Defensive Player of the Week
Tia Jimerson, Ohio, Middle Hitter
Junior – Sugar Hill, Georgia/Norcross
In her first two matches back this season, junior middle blocker Tia Jimerson was stellar on both sides of the ball as she earned Bobcat Invitational presented by Texas Roadhouse All-Tournament. On offense, Jimerson committed just one error in six sets on the floor while hitting a scorching .577. Jimerson racked up 16 total kills, including nine kills on 15 swings with zero errors in Ohio’s sweep of Virginia. On defense, Jimerson had 10 total blocks (three solo, seven assisted) in the two matches. Jimerson was one short of career-high with seven stuffs (two solo, five assisted) in the sweep of UVA and put up one solo and two assisted blocks in Ohio’s sweep of UConn.
 
MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Kathleen Reilly, Western Michigan, Defensive Specialist/Libero
Senior – Overland Park, Kansas/St, James Academy
For the third straight weekend, Reilly led the Broncos in digs with 60, averaging 5.45 per set en route to a 2-1 record at the Panther Invitational. Reilly notched double-digit digs in all three contests over the weekend including 30 in a five-set victory over Butler. The 30 digs were the second most in a single match this season for Reilly. In a sweep of Southeast Missouri State, Reilly had 20 digs along with one service ace and two assists. It’s the fifth time in nine matches, Reilly has recorded at least 20 digs. With 60 digs over the weekend, Reilly is now just 70 digs away from surpassing the 2,000-dig mark for her career. 
  
MAC East Setter of the Week
Emily Weigand, Akron, Setter
Junior – Burton, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin School
Emily Weigand did a great job at keeping her offensive effective in the Akron Invitational. She compiled 98 assists throughout 3 matches (10.89/set), including 37 in the Zips’ final match against Seton Hall.
 
MAC West Setter of the Week
Megan Beasley, Toledo, Setter
Sophomore – Indianapolis, Indiana/Lawrence North
Megan Beasley averaged 11.78 assists/set this weekend at the Wright State tournament, hitting the 30-assist mark in each of Toledo’s matches, all of which lasted three sets. The sophomore helped Toledo to its two highest hitting percentages of the season this weekend: .394 against Western Illinois and .336 against Indiana State. The match against the Sycamores was the third in a row in which the Rockets hit at least .300. Beasley also contributed at least three kills in each match and averaged just over two digs/set. She sits third in the MAC at 9.89 assists/set this season.

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Other Nominees
Grace Balensiefer, NIU, Setter
Sophomore – Lafayette, Indiana/McCutcheon
Had 41 assists and eight digs against Texas Tech on Sept. 9… Recorded her second double-double of the season in the win over Niagara, posting 44 assists and 16 digs with a career-high three aces.
 
Paige Beck, Buffalo, Libero
Sophomore – Toledo, Ohio/Northview
Sophomore Paige Beck tied her career high with 20 digs in UB’s five-set match against North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon.  She finished with 37 digs on the week as she added 13 digs against Green Bay.  Beck also had nine assists on the weekend, including six against the Bison.  She leads the Bulls with 101 digs on the seasons.
 
Rose Duffy, Western Michigan, Setter (Freshman – Fishers, Indiana/Fishers)
Mary Marzo, Western Michigan, Setter (Junior – La Grange, Illinois/Gonzaga)
Running a 6-2 formation, Marzo led the Broncos over the weekend for the first time this season with a staggering 65 assists, averaging 5.91 per set. In the tournament opener against Butler, Marzo rattled off a season-high 34 assists to go along with one kill, one service, one block and six digs. In the final two games of the weekend, Marzo had 17 assists against Southeast Missouri State and 14 against Milwaukee. On the season, Marzo has recorded at least 15 assists in eight of the nine games and ranks second on the team with 180 assists, averaging 4.86 per set. Overall Marzo leads WMU from beyond the line with 11 service aces. Duffy ranked second on the team with 47 assists, averaging 4.27 per set and recorded back-to-back double-doubles against Butler and Southeast Missouri State. Duffy got the weekend started with 19 assists and 17 digs for her fourth double-double of the season in a five-set victory over the Bulldogs. Duffy followed that performance with a 16 assist, 11 dig double-double against Southeast Missouri State. Duffy’s five double-doubles on the season leads Western Michigan and has recorded at least one each weekend this season. 
 
Erin Gardner, Kent State, Libero
Sophomore – Avon, Ohio/Avon
Erin Gardner continued the stellar start to her sophomore campaign by posting 5.82digs per set during Kent State’s four- match week. Gardner started the week with 30 digs and a career-high 14 assists at Youngstown State to help the Golden Flashes leave the Beeghly Center with a victory after falling behind 2-0. The libero posted her fourth 30+ dig performance of the season with 32 against Bryant on Friday night. Gardner anchored a defense that held all four opponents under a .200 hitting percentage.
 
Vera Giacomazzi, Ohio, Setter
Junior – San Vendemiano, Italy/Liceo Scientific G. Marconi
Junior setter Vera Giacomazzi won MVP of the Bobcat Invitational presented by Texas Roadhouse after leading her team to three-straight sweeps. Giacomazzi had a double-double in every match of the Bobcat Invitational. Over the weekend, Giacomazzi averaged 10.2 assists per set and 3.78 digs per set. Giacomazzi started with 32 assists and 13 digs in Ohio’s sweep of Charleston. Later that night, she guided the offense to a .248 attacking clip with 35 helpers and added 11 scoops in the sweep of UConn. Giacomazzi finished off the seekend with a 25 assist, 10 dig performance in the sweep of Virginia, where she also added four kills and two blocks (one solo, one assisted). Giacomazzi added five kills, four aces and three total blocks in the Bobcat Invitational. GIacomazzi had a total of 92 helpers over the weekend while helping the team hit .204. Her dig total last weekend was over a full dig over her season average and she has seven double doubles this season.
 
Esther Grussing, Ball State, Setter
Freshman – Willmar, Minnesota/Willmar
Redshirt freshman Esther Grussing came off the bench to help lead the Cardinals thrilling come-from-behind victory at Northern Kentucky Friday. In addition to leading the team with 30 assists and adding 10 digs for her second career double double, Grussing ran the offense to a .250 (37-12-100) attack percentage over final three sets, as Ball State rallied from two sets down to win the match. In Saturday’s opener versus Cincinnati, Grussing earned her first career start and ran the Ball State offense to a .261 (62-20-161) rate of success, handing out 50 assists in the match. She smashed five kills in each of Ball State’s games Saturday, while earning 14 total digs over the two matches.
 
Cassie Haut, Eastern Michigan, Middle Blocker
R-Senior – Monroe, Michigan/ St. Mary Catholic Central
Redshirt senior Cassie Haut showed off her versatility for Eastern during the Michigan Challenge, playing both middle blocker and right-side attacker during the Eagles’ 0-2 weekend. Facing off against fellow 2018 NCAA Tournament teams Navy and No. 24 Michigan, Haut had 12 kills (six each match), and was a menace to opposing attackers. The Monroe, Mich. Native had a season-high eight total blocks against the Midshipmen, finishing with two solo and six block assist, and added another two solo blocks against the Wolverines to wrap up the weekend.
 
Gaby Harper, Miami, Outside Hitter
Sophomore – Caledonia, Michigan/Caledonia
Sophomore Gaby Harper led Miami during the week with a double-double in each of the contests the RedHawks played. She put down 15 kills and 14 digs in a 3-1 win over North Carolina on Friday. She followed up with 14 kills and 12 digs against Oakland Saturday. Harper averaged 3.62 kills and 3.25 digs per set over the weekend. With two service aces and two blocks, she scored 32.5 points in the two matches, an average of 4.06 per set.
 
Abigail Huser, Miami, Libero
Junior – Westfield, Indiana/Westfield
Junior Abigail Huser led Miami defense and held the libero shirt for seven out of eight sets this past weekend. She finished with 32 digs, an average of 4.57 digs per set. Huser started with 12 digs in the RedHawks’ big 3-1 victory over North Carolina on Friday. She added 20 more in their match against Oakland on Saturday.
 
Petra Indrova, Bowling Green, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Jihlava, Czech Republic
A freshman, Petra Indrova has shown to be dominant over the last week, leading the Falcons in kills twice, putting up a .481 hitting percentage on 15 kills against Ohio State on Saturday. Indrova also added her first two career assists against Tulane while also adding in a handful of digs in nearly each match. 
 
Alayna Jansky, Eastern Michigan, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Mukwonago, Wisconsin/Mukwonago
Freshman Alayna Jansky put together her best overall performance of the season against Eastern Michigan’s toughest competition. The outside hitter collected a career-high 12 kills against Navy, while also registering her first collegiate double-double by putting up 14 digs. The Mukwonago, Wis.-native also put together a strong performance against No. 24 Michigan, finishing with a team-high seven kills to go along with eight digs.
 
Miranda Karlen, NIU, Libero
Junior – Evansville, Wisconsin/Evansville
Karlen recorded her 1,000thcareer dig against Delaware on Sept. 17… Had a match-high 20 digs and two aces against Texas Tech on Sept. 9… Set a season-high with four aces in win over Niagara on Sept. 13.
 
Katie Kidwell, Bowling Green, Middle Blocker
Junior – Watseka, Illinois/Watseka
Junior Katie Kidwell contributed in multiple defensive facets for the Falcons over the last week, tallying multiple blocks in each of four matches, includes digs in three of four. Kidwell’s week was highlighted by one block solo and five block assists, which proved to be crucial in a five-set victory over Oakland on Tuesday. Kidwell also added a variety of kills and digs to each line, providing a well-rounded all week for Bowling Green. 
 
Maggie King, Western Michigan, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Cincinnati, Ohio/Mason
Over the weekend, freshman Maggie King was named to the Panther Invitational All-Tournament team after leading the Broncos with 39 kills, averaging 3.55 per set and hitting .204. In the tournament opener against Butler, King notched her second career double-double with 17 kills along with 10 digs to propel WMU to a five-set victory. King followed that performance with a 14 kill, seven dig and two service ace effort in a sweep of Southeast Missouri State. This season in 37 sets played, King ranks second on the team with 114 kills and is hitting .220 and averaging 3.08 kills per set. 
 
Savannah Matthews, Kent State, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Mahomet, Illinois/Mahomet Seymour
Savannah Matthews earned all-tournament team honors at the Black Knights Invitational this past weekend. During Kent State’s four-match week, Matthews had two double-doubles and posted averages of 2.53 kills and 2.41 digs per set. She hit a weekend-best 3.79 with 12 kills and 10 digs against Army West Point and went for 14 kills and 13 digs against Bryant.
 
Rhyen Neal, Toledo, Libero
Junior – Yorktown, Indiana/Yorktown
Rhyen Neal helped the Rockets go 2-1 at the Wright State tournament last weekend, averaging 4.89 digs/set and going a perfect 32/32 on reception attempts in Toledo’s back row. Her 23 digs in the three-set match against Wright State are tied for the most in a three-set match by any MAC player this season. 
 
Rachel Sanks, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Senior – Alexandria, Virginia/Thomas A. Edison
Senior Rachel Sanks set a new career with 20 kills in UB’s five-set match against North Dakota State on Saturday. Sanks was extremely effective as she had just four errors on 39 swings, hitting .410 in the match. Sanks added 10 kills in the weekend opener against PAC-12 foe California and had six kills against Green Bay.  In the match against the Phoenix, Sanks also added four blocks, including a pair of solos. Sanks is currently second on the team with 84 kills.
 
Kalina Smith, Central Michigan, Outside Hitter
Junior – Powell, Wyoming/Campbell County
Junior outside hitter Kalina Smith helped lead the Chippewas to a 2-1 finish at the DePaul Invitational this past weekend as CMU claimed victories over Valparaiso and Holy Cross. The Powell, Wyo., native paced the attack racking up 48 total kills over the three-game stretch. In Friday’s four set loss to the Blue Demons, Smith matched a career-high with 21 kills on a .280 attack percentage. She followed up her performance with a team-high 15 kills in Saturday’s win over the Crusaders and tallied 12 kills in a sweep of Holy Cross. Smith also chipped in defensively totaling 37 digs which ranked second on the team.  
 
Sydnee VanBeek, Ball State, Middle
Senior – St. John, Indiana/Illiana Christian
After missing last week's matches, senior middle Sydnee VanBeek returned with a vengeance in Friday’s win at Northern Kentucky, coming off the bench in the second set and finishing the night with eight kills, a .353 (8-2-17) attack percentage and a team-high eight total blocks. Some of her biggest plays came in the pivotal third set, as she registered five kills and three blocks, including a solo stuff to give Ball State the 26-24 set victory. The senior turned in another solid day Saturday, registering five blocks versus both Cincinnati and Notre Dame. She also finished the day with 15 total kills. For her play over the two-day event, VanBeek was named to the NKU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
 
Kennedy Wallace, NIU, Middle Blocker
Junior – Kansas City, Kansas/Piper
Wallace hit .345 this week with 44 kills… hit .300 with 14 kills against Texas Tech… Hit .727 with nine kills at Incarnate Word on Sept. 13… Had 18 kills and hit .455 in NIU’s win over Niagara on Sept. 13.