East Division Offensive Player of the Week
Lauryn Hovey, Bowling Green, Outside Hitter
Lauryn Hovey was the catalyst for a BGSU attack that registered a .283 hitting percentage over the weekend. Hovey landed 19 kills in both matches Northern Illinois, leading the Falcons both nights. She recorded a .371 hitting percentage in the first match followed by a .333 mark in the second, combining for just 11 errors over her 77 attacks for a .351 cumulative attack percentage. In the first match, Hovey added seven block assists and four digs before tallying 10 digs in the second match for her second double-double of the season.
East Division Defensive Player of the Week
Benedetta Marcon, Bowling Green, Libero
Freshman Benedetta Marcon stepped into the libero role for the Falcons for the first time this past week and put together a career weekend. Marcon began by registering 24 digs in the four-set match on Thursday, not only a career-high, but the highest total by a Falcon this season. She followed it up with a team-high 15 on Friday, including a career-high seven digs. Marcon was also perfect in serve receive during the two matches on 31 receptions.
East Division Setter of the Week
Mandy Leigh, Buffalo, Setter
Mandy Leigh had an outstanding weekend for the Bulls at Kent State. She helped the Bulls to a 2-0 start in MAC play with a straight set victory on Friday and five-set win on Saturday. She had double-doubles in both matches, as she is up to nine on the season. Leigh finished with 75 of the Bulls’ 93 assists. She averaged 9.38 assists per set. Leigh added five kills, two service aces, 24 digs, three blocks, and 8.5 points.
West Division Offensive Player of the Week
Taylor Alt, Toledo, Outside Hitter
Taylor Alt turned in a pair of strong performances last week, averaging 5.00 kills/set and hitting .361 to help Toledo go 2-0 in its first two MAC matches of the year. In Thursday's five-set victory vs. EMU, Alt had 21 kills, 12 digs, and a pair of blocks to help the Rockets come back to defeat the Eagles and start the week with a victory. Alt's performance in Friday's match was magnificent; she tallied 19 kills and hit .531 to help Toledo win in three sets. Her third set on Friday was astounding: she recorded 13 kills on 19 attempts with zero attack errors, and ended the set with six straight kills to help Toledo overcome a 23-19 deficit to win 25-23.
West Division Defensive Player of the Week
Ryann Jaqua, Toledo, Libero
Ryann Jaqua helped Toledo win both of its matches last week, averaging a robust 6.88 digs/set and going a perfect 23-for-23 on reception attempts against Eastern Michigan. Jaqua opened the week with a 28-dig performance in Thursday's five-set victory, a season-high dig total for the fifth-year senior. She followed that up with 27 digs in Friday's three-set sweep to help the Rockets to victory for the second straight night.
West Division Setter of the Week
Megan Wielonski, Ball State, Setter
Junior setter Megan Wielonski dished out a league-best 12.17 assists per set last week, leading the Ball State offense to a .277 hitting percentage in a two-match sweep of Central Michigan to open league play. In Thursday’s opener, she dished out 41 assists as the Cardinals hit for a .337 rate of success. She also collected five digs, three kills, two aces and a block assist in the win. She followed with 32 more assists in Friday’s sweep, adding eight more digs and another block assists as Ball State hit .220 in the match.
