West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Marie Plitt, Ball State, Middle Blocker
Ball State senior middle Marie Plitt was named the MVP of the Ball State Tournament after leading the Cardinals to a 3-0 record in the event by pacing the squad with 34 kills and a .484 (34-4-62) attack percentage. The .484 hitting mark was the best in the league this week and aided by a program-record .833 (15-0-18) attack percentage in the three-set sweep of Arkansas State. She added 15 more kills and a .353 (15-3-34) rate of success in the tournament championship match victory over Green Bay. Plitt also led Ball State at the net with eight total blocks and a 0.67 blocks-per-set average, while tallying 14 digs (1.17 per set) and one service ace.
West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Francesca Bertucci, Northern Illinois, Libero
Francesca Bertucci (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle) led NIU in digs with 20 versus UMKC and 12 versus Wichita St. in this past weekend's KC Roos Classic. The Libero averaged an astounding 5.33 digs/set to pace all players in both matches. Her defensive efficiency earned her a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
West Division Setter of the Week
Ella Mihacevich, Northern Illinois, Setter
Ella Mihacevich (Brunswick, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) landed a spot on the KC Roos Classic All-Tournament Team after posting 72 set assists (12/set) over the weekend's two wins. Mihacevich logged a double-double with 31 set assists and 11 digs in the Wichita St.. win to put a stamp on her weekend.
East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Mackenzie McGuire, Kent State, Outside Hitter
Mackenzie McGuire led Kent State to a 3-0 weekend and received MVP honors at the Marshall Invite. McGuire averaged 5.19 points per set and her 63 total kills were more than twice as many as her next closest teammate. She got the weekend started by recording a career-high 24 kills while hitting .346 in a 3-1 win over Murray State on Friday. McGuire had 24 kills again, including 9 in the fourth set, in Saturday morning’s 3-1 win over Charleston Southern. She added 15 kills in the weekend finale against host Marshall. Her 24 kills are the most in a match by a Golden Flashes freshman since 2014.
East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Sam Steele, Ohio, Libero
Junior Sam Steele led Ohio defensively this weekend during the Bobcat Invitational. Over the course of the tournament, Steele collected 66 digs, averaging six digs per set. The All-Tournament honoree recorded a season high 27 digs in the Bobcats' final match against Tennessee Tech. Additionally, the libero only committed two errors on 51 receptions this past weekend.
East Division Setter of the Week
Mandy Leigh, Buffalo, Setter
Sophomore Mandy Leigh had another outstanding weekend for the Bulls at the WNY Invitational. Over the course of three matches, the Bulls went 3-0, claiming the WNY Invitational Title after defeating Canisius, Youngstown State, and the undefeated Bucknell Bison. She earned All-Tournament honors. Leigh averaged 11.60 assists per set helping the Bulls to a hit percentage of .261. Against co-host Canisius, Leigh had 35 assists on 76 attempts in just three sets of play for a percentage of .461. Against Youngstown State, she had 46 assists and added 35 against the 6-0 Bucknell Bison on Friday afternoon. She finished the weekend with 116 assists, a .420 set percentage, seven kills, seven total blocks, and a hit percentage of .278.
