Mid-American Conference

MAC East Offensive & Defensive Player of the Week
Tia Jimerson, Ohio, Middle Blocker
Junior – Sugar Hill, Georgia/Norcross
Junior Tia Jimerson (Sugar Hill, Ga.) had a red-hot weekend, hitting an impressive .667 with 31 kills in 45 attempts with just one error. In Ohio’s first sweep of the weekend, Jimerson had the second-highest attacking percentage in Ohio program history (minimum 10 attacks) at .857. Jimerson did not commit an error on her historic night at The Convo and had 18 kills on 21 swings for her .857 attacking clip. Jimerson followed that performance up with another sweep and 13 hammers on 24 attempts for a .500 attacking percentage. On defense, Jimerson averaged 1.67 blocks per set. Jimerson had three solo blocks and seven assisted blocks over the six sets. 
 
MAC West Offensive Player of the Week
Natalie Risi, Ball State, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Clarkston, Mich./Notre Dame Preparatory
Freshman Natalie Risi continued her solid play, averaging 5.00 kills per set after leading the Ball State offense in kills in road wins at both Western Michigan and Northern Illinois last week … In Friday’s victory over the Broncos, Risi smashed 18 kills and added 10 digs of her eighth double-double of the season … She followed with 17 kills and a .310 (17-4-42) attack percentage in Saturday’s sweep of the Huskies, with the 17 kills tying as the third-most in a three-set match in the MAC this season.
 
MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Janell Williams, Western Michigan, Middle Blocker
R-Sophomore – Ann Arbor, Michigan/Portage Central
It was a stellar weekend defensively for Janell Williams who posted a season two-match high of 19 blocks against Ball State and Toledo. The redshirt sophomore averaged 2.11 blocks per set to go along with six kills vs. Ball State and five against Toledo. Against Ball State, Williams earned her 13th match with at least four blocks and followed that performance with her 14th match with at least four with 12 against Toledo. The 12 blocks for Williams against the Rockets was a career high. Williams’ nine block assists vs. Toledo was tied for the fifth most in a five-set match in school history. 
 
MAC East Setter of the Week
Vera Giacomazzi, Ohio, Setter
Junior – San Vendemiano, Italy/ Liceo Scientifico G. Marconi
Junior setter Vera Giacomazzi led the offense to an impressive .312 attacking percentage and 88 kills over the weekend. Giacomazzi averaged 12.5 digs per set and recorded 75 assists in the two sweeps. Giacomazzi started the weekend with her 16th double-double of the season when she posted 43 helpers and 14 digs while Ohio hit .306 as a team. Giacomazzi ended the weekend dishing out 32 assists while Ohio hit .320 as a squad. 
 
MAC West Setter of the Week
Amber Seaman, Ball State, Setter (Senior – Carmel, Indiana/Brebeuf)
Esther Grussing, Ball State, Setter (R-Freshman – Wilmar, Minnesota/Wilmar)
Led by the combined effort of senior setter Amber Seaman and redshirt freshman setter Esther Grussing, the Cardinals picked up a pair of pivotal MAC wins last weekend and guided the Ball State offense to a .237 rate of success in the process … The pair split time in BSU’s two wins with Seaman handing out 55 assists over five sets for an 11.00 assists-per-set average, while Grussing dished out 34 assists over three sets for an 11.33 average … Grussing started Friday’s match at WMU, handing out 10 assists in the opening set … In an effort to throw off the WMU defense, the Cardinals turned to Seaman to open the second frame and she went on to hand out 41 assists and guided the offense to a .241 (49-16-137) attack percentage over the final three sets … In Saturday’s win at Northern Illinois, Seaman set the first set-and-a-half, dishing out 14 assists and becoming just the fifth player in program history to record over 4,000 career assists … The Cardinals turned to Grussing over the final set-and-a-half, and she handed out 24 assists down the stretch. 

 
  
Other Nominees
Grace Balensiefer, NIU, Setter
Sophomore – Lafayette, Indiana/McCutcheon
Balensiefer averaged over 10 assists per set this weekend and had a pair of double doubles against Toledo and Ball State. On Friday night, Balensiefer had 39 assists and a season-high 17 digs against the Rockets. She followed that up 34 assists, 10 digs, and six kills against Ball State. Balensiefer hit .500 for the weekend and averaged 3.86 digs per set. 
 
Megan Beasley, Toledo, Setter (Sophomore – Indianapolis, Indiana/Lawrence North)
Maddie Fogg, Toledo, Setter (Sophomore – Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty)
Megan Beasley and Maddie Fogg were terrific last weekend at Toledo’s setters, combining to average 10.78 assists/set across two matches. The Rockets won at Northern Illinois in four sets and took down Western Michigan in five sets the following day. In the win over the Huskies, Beasley and Fogg helped Toledo hit .361 in the second set to tie the match at 1-1 and assisted in Toledo tallying 14 kills to just four attack errors in the fourth and final set. In the win at WMU, the Rockets hit .263 and .282 in the first and third sets, which UT won, and outhit the Broncos in the final set. Nine of Toledo’s 15 points in the fifth set came via kills thanks to Beasley and Fogg’s play.
 
Rachel Bontrager, Western Michigan, Outside Hitter
Junior – Valparaiso, Indiana/Valparaiso
Bontrager posted her 16th and 17th straight matches with double-digit kills over the weekend en route to 32 for the weekend, averaging 3.56 per set. On Friday against Ball State, Bontrager recorded her team-high ninth double-double of the season with 18 kills and 14 digs. In the home finale on Saturday vs. Toledo, Bontrager nearly posted another double-double with 14 kills and nine digs. Bontrager also matched her season-high with four blocks against the Rockets. Over the weekend, Bontrager also increased her career total to 1,254 kills, ranking 11th all-time at WMU.
 
Morgan Copley, Kent State, Opposite
Freshman – Aurora, Ohio/Aurora
Morgan Copley hit at a .300 or better clip in both of Kent State’s matches this past weekend. Copley averaged 2.50 kills per set in matches against Ohio and Eastern Michigan.
 
Rose Duffy, Western Michigan, Setter (Freshman – Fishers, Indiana/Fishers)
Mary Marzo, Western Michigan, Setter (Junior – La Grange, Indiana/Gonzaga)
Duffy posted her team leading 10th double-double of the season en route to a 24 assist and 15 digs weekend for the Broncos vs. Ball State and Toledo. On Friday, Duffy recorded 10 assists and five digs in the four-set loss and followed up that performance with a 14 assists, 10 dig effort against Toledo. Duffy has now registered double-digit assists in 12 straight matches and double –digit digs in four of the last five. Her 10 double-doubles (assists & digs) is two shy of ranking in the top 10 for most in a single-season in school history. Returning to action for the first time since Oct. 5, Marzo completed the weekend with 52 assists and 18 digs, averaging 5.78 assists per set vs. Ball State and Toledo. Marzo led the Broncos with 28 assists against the Cardinals on Friday to go along with eight digs. Marzo followed up her performance with her fifth double-double of the season and first since Sept. 20 with 24 assists and 10 digs against Toledo. Marzo now has 10 matches this season with over 20 assists. 
 
Alex Haffner, Kent State, Setter
R-Sophomore – Lee’s Summit, Missouri/Lee’s Summit North
Alex Haffner averaged 11.50 assists per set while running a Kent State offense that saw three different attackers post 20 or more kills this past weekend. Haffner added 11 kills on 18 errorless attempts for a .611 hitting percentage. She had 53 assists, eight digs and five kills in the Golden Flashes’ 3-2 win against Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Two days earlier, Haffner totaled 39 assists, seven digs and six kills at Ohio.
 
Cassie Haut, Eastern Michigan, Middle Blocker
R-Senior – Monroe, Michigan/Monroe
Redshirt senior Cassie Haut turned in an impressive two match performance for Eastern Michigan in its matches against Central Michigan, Nov. 7, and Kent State, Nov. 9. Haut tallied a team-best 16 kills (5.33 per set), adding four digs, and hitting at an impressive .333 clip against CMU, a straight-set win for the Eagles. Haut also led the team with an unbelievable 17.0 points in the match. The sweep was the first for the Chippewas since September. Haut was just as impressive against Kent State, where she racked up 19 kills, eight digs, and three blocks. The Monroe Michigan native compiled 38.0 points, 4.38 digs per set, and a .320 hitting percentage between the two matches. Haut currently ranks fourth in the MAC in kills, and third in the league in points.
 
Maggie Huber, Ball State, Defensive Specialist
Freshman – Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy
Ball State freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber led the Ball State backcourt with a career-high 26 digs in Friday’s win at Western Michigan … It's the first time in her career Huber has collected 20-or-more digs, and was her 12th consecutive match in double figures … She closed the weekend with seven digs at Northern Illinois … In addition, Huber had a perfect reception percentage over the weekend in 13 attempts.
 
Miranda Karlen, NIU, Libero
Junior – Evansville, Wisconsin/Evansville
Miranda Karlen averaged over seven digs per set this weekend against Toledo and Ball State. Karlen opened the weekend with a season-high 27 digs against Toledo, adding two assists and three aces. She then had 25 digs Saturday night against Ball State. 
 
Elya Karsner, Akron, Outside Hitter
Senior – Frankfort, Kentucky/Chippewa
Elya Karsner had a strong weekend offensively for the Zips. In the match against Miami, she finished with 12 kills and a .241 hitting percentage, to go along with 11 digs. She followed that up with another strong performance against Bowling Green, as she finished 15 kills and 8 digs. 
 
Abby Leigh, Buffalo, Middle Blocker
Freshman – Strongsville, Ohio/Padua Franciscan
Abby Leigh continued her strong freshman campaign with another weekend where she has registered at least 1.00 block per set.  Leigh had four blocks and three service aces in Buffalo’s win over Bowling Green and then she added five more blocks against Miami as the Bulls beat the RedHawks.  Leigh also added 10 kills on the weekend, including seven against the Falcons.
 
Savannah Matthews, Kent State, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Mahomet, Illinois/Mahomet Seymour
Savannah Matthews tallied a career-high 22 digs to help Kent State earn a much-needed 3-2 victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday night at the M.A.C. Canter. Matthews add two solo blocks. She had seven digs Thursday night at Ohio. Matthews averaged 3.63 digs blocks per set for the week.
 
Scout McLerran, Buffalo, Setter
Senior – Friendsville, Tennessee/Webb School
Senior Scout McLerran averaged over 11 assists per set as the Bulls swept a pair of MAC East opponents this weekend.  On Friday afternoon, McLerran had 45 assists in the win over Bowling Green as UB hit nearly .300 for the match.  She also added four kills and no errors in the contest.  On Saturday evening, McLerran helped lead Buffalo to their first win over Miami since 2014 as she finished with 56 assists in the victory over the RedHawks.  She also added three aces from the service line.
 
Katelyn Meyer, Bowling Green, Outside Hitter
Sophomore – Pemberville, Ohio/Eastwood
Katelyn Meyer paced the Falcons this past weekend in kills, totaling 37 over two matches in which Bowling Green bested Akron and came up short to Buffalo. With 102 attacks in the two matches, Meyer registered a .235 hitting percentage in addition to her 37 kills. She was also able to log three block assists on the weekend, with two against Buffalo and one against Akron. 
 
Brinley Milbrath, NIU, Right Side
Senior – Cedar Rapids, Iowa/John F. Kennedy
Brinley Milbrath set a new career-high in kills twice this weekend against Toledo and Ball State. On Friday night, Milbrath had 14 kills against the Rockets and hit .273. She followed that up with not only a career-high with 15 kills, but also a career-high hitting percentage of .609. In seven sets this weekend, Milbrath averaged 4.14 kills per set and hit .411 over the two matches. 
 
Rhyen Neal, Toledo, Libero
Junior – Yorktown, Indiana/Yorktown
Rhyen Neal helped to Rockets to a 2-0 weekend, with the Rockets earning wins at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan. She tallied 20 digs in the win at WMU and 17 against NIU, and she recorded a reception percentage of .948 across both matches over 97 attempts. In the win against the Huskies, Neal registered 15 of her digs across the final two sets, including nine in the fourth and final set of the night. She was equally as effective against the Broncos, tallying four digs in the abbreviated fifth set.
 
Rachel Sanks, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Senior – Alexandria, Virginia/Thomas A. Edison
Senior Rachel Sanks was absolutely unstoppable this weekend as the Bulls defeated a pair of the MAC East’s top teams.  On Saturday night, Sanks had a career high 24 kills on her Senior Night as the Bulls defeated Miami in five sets, snapping the RedHawks’ nine-match winning streak.  Sanks was on a mission all night as she hit .400 for the match.  On Friday afternoon, Sanks added 17 kills in a four-set win over Bowling Green, leading UB in kills in that match as well.  She also added five blocks on the weekend.
 
Camille Schomer, Eastern Michigan, Libero
Senior – Rochester, Michigan/Oakland Christian
Senior libero Camille Schomer had an impressive two-game weekend for the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team as it split a pair of road matches against Central Michigan, Nov. 7, and Kent State, Nov. 9. Perfect defensively, Schomer did not commit an error in the two matches and added a combined 34 digs for the Eagles. She currently ranks eight in the MAC in digs, (444) and has just a 0.24 reception error per set average. Schomer leads EMU in digs this season. Her perfect defense helped EMU knock off first-place Central Michigan via a straight-set sweep.
 
Taylor Sharrtis, Akron, Defensive Specialist
Junior – Concord, Ohio/Lake Catholic
Taylor Sharrits had a strong weekend in the back row this weekend. She finished with 42 digs, 7 assists and 4 aces on the weekend, good enough for 6.00 digs per set.
 
Emma Swope, Toledo, Outside Hitter
Junior – Fredericksburg, Virginia/Massaponax
Emma Swope helped Toledo go 2-0 last weekend with wins at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan. She had 14 kills and three blocks in the win at NIU and 13 kills plus two aces and two blocks against WMU. She continually stepped up when it mattered most for the Rockets. She had five kills in the clinching set at Northern Illinois, and eight of her 13 kills against Western Michigan came in sets that Toledo won. Her 3.00 kills/set last weekend were the most on the team.
 
Riley Taylor, Eastern Michigan, Setter
Senior – Indianapolis, Indiana/Perry Meridian
Senior setter Riley Taylor continued to prove herself as one of the very best in the Mid-American Conference in her two-match performance against Central Michigan, Nov. 7, and Kent State, Nov. 9. The Indianapolis native paced EMU with 92 assists on the weekend, including 39 against CMU, a straight-set sweep over the MAC’s first-place squad, and 53 against Kent State, the fifth time she has eclipsed the 50-assist mark this season. Taylor currently ranks sixth in the MAC in assists and has recorded 30+ assists in eight of her last 10 matches. She averaged 11.5 assists per set in her two matches against CMU and Kent State, nearly 3.0 above her season average, while also contributing 2.38 digs per set.
 
Julia Walz, Bowling Green, Libero
Sophomore – Brooklyn, Ohio/Brooklyn
Sophomore Julia Walz was atop the stat sheet for the Falcons in both matches this past weekend for digs, totaling 38 as Bowling Green went 1-1, topping Akron and falling to Buffalo. Walz also added three aces on the weekend, increasing her team lead in the category to 22 on the season. The 38 digs moved Walz’s season total to 517, placing her in ninth all-time for single season digs in program history, becoming the eighth player to make the list in Coach Tomic’s eight seasons with Bowling Green. Also, her average digs per set is currently ninth in the nation and leads the MAC. 
 
Emily Weigand, Akron, Setter
Junior – Burton, Ohio/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin School
Emily Weigand had a solid weekend distributing the ball, as she totaled 84 assists while adding 6 kills and 20 digs. She had a strong performance against Bowling Green, averaging 10.3 assists per set while adding 5 kills and 12 digs.