MAC Volleyball East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Milla Malik, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Malik led the Bulls offensively this past week as UB went 2-1 at the WNY Invite. Malik had 35 kills over the 10 sets, capped off with a 17-kill performance on Saturday afternoon in a 3-0 win over Canisius. In the win over the Griffs, Malik hit .419 as she has just four errors on 31 total swings. Malik added 12 kills against undefeated West Virginia earlier in the day.
MAC Volleyball East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Hannah Jacoby, Buffalo, Libero
Freshman Hannah Jacoby was named to the All-Tournament Team at the WNY Invite after leading the Bulls in digs. On Saturday, she finished with a career high 18 digs against the Mountaineers and then she added 17 digs in a three-set match against Canisius, averaging just under six digs per set. In Friday's win over Duquesne, Jacoby finished with eight digs, but led all Bulls with four service aces in the win over the Dukes.
MAC Volleyball East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Mandy Leigh, Buffalo, Setter
Freshman setter Mandy Leigh ran the UB offense to perfection this weekend as the Bulls finished 2-1 at the WNY Invite. Leigh averaged 10.3 assists per set while also lead the Bulls in service aces with six. Leigh began the weekend with 27 assists in the win over Duquesne and then added 40 assists on Saturday against West Virginia. She concluded the weekend with 36 assists against Canisius, averaging 12.0 assists per set in the win. Leigh also had three aces in the victory over the Griffs.
MAC Volleyball West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Jasmine Kemp, NIU, Middle Blocker
Kemp led NIU with 3.30 kills per set, 0.90 blocks per set, and a .413 hitting percentage as the Huskies went 3-0 in the Buccaneer Invitational at Charleston Southern. Kemp opened the weekend hitting .500 with seven kills and two blocks in a 3-0 win over Bethune-Cookman Friday morning. She followed that up later that evening with a career-high 18 kills in a 3-1 win over The Citadel. She hit .469 against the Bulldogs with three blocks. Kemp capped her weekend with eight kills and four blocks in a 3-1 win over the host Buccaneers, NIU's fourth straight win.
MAC Volleyball West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Savannah Thompson, Central Michigan, Outside Hitter
Thompson had a strong showing defensively this past weekend as the Chippewas went 1-3 at the Flyer-Raider Invitation. The Thornton, Ill., native posted a team-best 48 digs (4.8/set) over the three-match stretch. She also added four blocks on the weekend. In Friday's loss to Wright State in the tournament opener, Thompson tallied a team-best 20 digs and followed it up with 14 in a four-set victory over Illinois State. In Saturday's loss to Dayton in the finale, she finished with 14 digs to lead the team.
MAC Volleyball West Division Setter of the Week
Grace Balensiefer, NIU, Setter
Balensiefer averaged over 12 assists per set this weekend as NIU went 3-0 at the Buccaneer Invitational at Charleston Southern. The senior setter had 35 assists and five digs in the Huskies' 3-0 win over Bethune-Cookman Friday morning. She filled the box score later that night with 47 assists, 11 digs, two kills, two aces, and a block in NIU's 3-1 victory over The Citadel. Balensiefer dished out a season-high 55 assists in NIU's 3-1 win over Charleston Southern Saturday morning, adding six digs, a kill and an ace. With Balensiefer at the helm, NIU hit .284 over its three matches in Charleston to extend its current winning streak to four matches.
