Offensive Player of the Week
Lauryn Hovey, Outside Hitter, Bowling Green
In a trio of matches against nationally-ranked opponents, Lauryn Hovey shined for the Falcons at the Stacey Clark Classic. Landing 64 kills over 14 sets, Hovey managed to maintain an impressive .338 hitting percentage. In each of the five set matches, Hovey logged at least 20 kills, including 30 against #17 Purdue while hitting .481. In addition to the strong attack, Hovey logged two double-doubles, finishing with 13 digs against Kansas and 11 against Purdue. She closed out her stat lines with two aces against Kansas and three aces against both Purdue and Georgia Tech.
Defensive Player of the Week
Hatteras Welker, Middle Blocker, Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan sophomore middle blocker Hatteras Welker was on a tear defensively as she recorded 26 total blocks, averaging two per set in the Eagles’ perfect 3-0 weekend at the EMU Tournament, Sept. 4-6, and 3-1 week overall. On top of her blocks, Welker contributed with 28 kills (2.15/set) and four aces (0.31/set) while pitching in seven digs (0.54/set), equaling 47.5 points (3.65/set).
Welker particularly shined in the 3-1 win over Valparaiso, Sept. 5, as she led the match with 11 blocks, the second-most in the MAC by an individual this season, most in a four-set contest, and second-most in EMU history in a four-set game. The match saw Eastern record 17 blocks, the most in the conference this season and third in the country in a four-set match. Furthermore, she had a standout offensive performance in the sweep over PFW, Sept. 4, landing nine kills off a .533 clip.
Setter of the Week
Ashlynn Belcher, Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan senior setter Ashlynn Belcher was named EMU Tournament MVP as she led the Eagles to a perfect 3-0 weekend at the EMU Tournament, Sept. 4-6, and a 3-1 week overall. Belcher dished a total of 137 assists (10.54/set) and heavily contributed to the team’s .254 hitting percentage throughout the week. Belcher added four kills (0.31/set), and two aces (0.15/set) offensively while contributing defensively with 42 digs (3.23/set) and eight blocks (0.62/set). Belcher posted two assists/digs double-doubles, dishing 46 assists and recording 16 digs in the win over Valparaiso, Sept. 5, before notching 41 assists and 15 digs in a sweep against Niagara, Sept. 6.
Belcher was particularly sharp against Purdue Fort Wayne, Sept. 4, as she set EMU to hit .424 as a team in the sweep over the Mastodons, a clip that ranks first in the MAC and 13th in the nation this season. Additionally, her 41 dimes against Niagara, Sept. 6, are the most in a three-set match in the MAC this season and eight more than the second-highest total in the conference (33).
