East Division
Offensive Player of the Week
Emma Gielas, Buffalo, Freshman, Right Side
Freshman right side Emma Gielas tied the Bulls for the team lead in kills this past weekend as UB split a pair of matches at Eastern Michigan. On Thursday, the Bulls picked up a 3-2 win as Gielas had a career-high 21 kills, the most by a UB freshman since the 2017 season. In addition to the 21 kills, she hit .341 and had seven digs. Gielas followed up that performance with 17 kills on Friday against the Eagles.
Defensive Player of the Week
Taylor Sharrits, Akron, Senior, Defensive Specialist
Sharrits anchored the Zips’ defense in a pair of matches at Central Michigan as she recorded 50 total digs, averaging 5.56 per set. She added 25 receptions with a perfect 1.000 percentage, four assists and one service ace. In the first match, a five-set thriller, Sharrits posted 33 digs, three assists and an ace as the Zips fell 3-2. Sharrits led the squad again in the second match with 17 digs in a 3-1 setback.
Setter of the Week
Hanna Laube, Bowling Green, Setter
Laube served as the Falcons' setter for all 10 sets in the two wins over Kent State, totaling 113 assists. In Thursday's (Feb. 25) five-set match, Laube logged 49 assists on 156 attempts with just two errors. She also had 13 digs for her second double-double of the season along with five block assists for a new single game career-high. As for Friday (Feb. 26), Laube surpassed 60 assists in a single game for the first time in her career with 64 while also landing two aces in the contest.
West Division
Offensive Player of the Week
Franki Strefling, Eastern Michigan, Senior, Outside Hitter
Strefling guided Eastern Michigan to a 1-1 record over Buffalo, Feb. 25-26. The outside hitter led the team offensively, as she tallied 50 kills (5.00 kps) in 10 sets and boasted a .331 hitting percentage (50-11-118). Strefling also recorded 34 digs for a 3.40 digs-per-set average. In the series opener against the Bulls, the senior notched a career-high 26 kills with a .356 hitting clip (26-5-59) and added 11 digs to her statline. The following day, the Niles, Mich. native recorded another 20-plus kill performance with 24 kills and dug a team-high 23 balls in a five-set victory over UB. Strefling leads the team with 172 total kills (4.53 kps) and ranks second with 155 digs (4.08 dps).
Defensive Player of the Week
Raeven Chase, Eastern Michigan, R-Sophomore, Middle Blocker
Chase guided Eastern Michigan to a 1-1 record over Buffalo, Feb. 25-26. The middle blocker led the team with 16 total blocks (1-15) in 10 sets against the Bulls. Chase tied a then career-high seven blocks (0-7) and added eight kills in the series opener versus UB, Feb. 25. The following day, the redshirt sophomore notched a career-best nine blocks (1-8) and tallied nine kills in a five-set victory over the UB. Chase leads the team with 40 total blocks (9-31) and ranks first in the conference averaging 1.23 blocks per set.
Setter of the Week
Grace Butler, Central Michigan, Senior, Setter
Kamryn Olson, Central Michigan, Freshman, Setter
Running with two setters in rotation, senior Grace Butler and freshman Kamryn Olson helped quarterback Central Michigan to a Mid-American Conference series sweep over Akron this past week. The Chippewa duo teamed up for 100 total assists (50/set) over the two-match stretch which helped CMU extend its win streak to four matches. In Thursday's five-set victory over the Zips, Butler led the team with 30 assists while Olson added 25. In Friday's four-set win, Olson posted a team-high 23 assists while Butler finished with 22.
