East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Lauryn Hovey, Bowling Green, Opposite
Lauryn Hovey led a ferocious attack for the Falcons over the last week that registered an attack percentage of at least .417 in all three matches as a team. Hovey led the team in kills in all three matches, landing 13, 16 and 15, respectively, while hitting .391, .481 and .542 in the those matches. Hovey also landed a total of 10 aces, leading the team, over the course of the week, including matching her career-high with five in Saturday's match.
East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Emily Waddell, Ohio, Middle Blocker
Freshman Emily Waddell was an important player for the Bobcats' defense during their road series at Miami this weekend. As Ohio swept Miami, Waddell recorded seven blocks on Friday and six blocks on Saturday. In addition to her impressive 13 blocks, Waddell also amassed a hitting percentage of .429 over the weekend.
East Division Setter of the Week
Mandy Leigh, Buffalo, Setter
Mandy Leigh had an outstanding weekend for the Bulls against Akron and Ball State. Her performance allowed the Bulls to go 3-0 on the week and move to 9-2 and second place in the MAC. She totaled 169 assists, good for 13.00 per set, including a career-high 74 against Ball State on Saturday. She added two double-double against the Cardinals as she now has a team leading 14 on the season. Leigh finished with 11 kills, 169 assists, two aces, 33 digs, five blocks, and 15.5 points.
West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Aniya Kennedy, Ball State, Outside Hitter
Redshirt freshman outside attacker Aniya Kennedy led all MAC West Division players with a 4.62 kills-per-set average last week, smashing 60 kills over BSU’s three matches. She started the week with a match-high 15 kills in BSU’s Tuesday sweep of Toledo. In Friday’s series opener at Buffalo, Kennedy smashed a match-best 22 kills. She closed the week with 23 more kills, while hitting .352 (23-4-54) in the series finale at Buffalo. Kennedy also collected eight total blocks and four digs over the course of BSU’s three matches.
West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Andelyn Simkins, Western Michigan, Libero
Andelyn Simkins totaled 61 digs (6.78/set) to help limit WMU's opponents to a .109 hitting percentage and went 35-for-38 (.921) on serve receive as the Broncos remained undefeated in MAC play last week. The senior started the week with 13 digs and by going 15-for-15 on serve receive in a straight-set win over NIU. Simkins then totaled 27 digs on Friday against Eastern Michigan, tied for the fourth-most in a three-set match in program history, to help hold EMU to a .049 hitting percentage, the lowest by a WMU opponent in 2023. She closed out the week with 21 digs on Saturday as Western Michigan completed its sweep of the Eagles.
West Division Setter of the Week
Claire Ammeraal, Central Michigan, Setter
Claire Ammeraal stepped into an even more powerful role for the Chippewas in their weekend against NIU and did so in impressive fashion. The sophomore individually posted a .323 hitting percentage with 12 kills – 8 in the Saturday victory. Ammeraal posted her 7th double-double of the season on Saturday (11 D & 47 A) while also contributing two service aces. The setter scored points herself but also aided in one of the best offensive weekends for the Chippewas all season. CMU posted their second and third highest hitting percentages as a team in conference play against NIU. Hitting .258 & .314 on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The .314 on Saturday was the third highest for the Chippewas all season. On the weekend, CMU hit .287 – much to the aid of Ammeraal who totaled 86 assists (12.29/set) on the weekend.
