PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly volleyball honors for the week ending on Oct. 1.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Emily Hiebert * Sr. * S * Wichita State25
Hiebert picks up her second American Offensive Player of the Week honor after guiding the Shockers to a .349 hitting percentage, while remaining perfect in league play (4-0) with two home wins over the weekend. The senior setter recorded 11.14 assists and 2.71 kills per set while hitting a conference weekend-best .607. She put down a career-high 11 kills and added 35 assists with a .667 hitting percentage for a double-double in the 3-0 win over USF on Friday. On Sunday against UCF, she had 43 more assists with eight kills and a .538 hitting percentage to pace Wichita State to a four-set win. She had just two attacking errors all weekend.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Meryn Kennedy * R-Fr. * MB * SMU
Kennedy had a strong performance at the net to help keep SMU tied at the top of the conference standings (4-0) with two five-set road wins over the weekend. The Mustangs handed Cincinnati its first conference loss of the year, while setting an American record with 23 blocks in the match. Kennedy accounted for a league-high 12 stuffs in the five-set thriller. On Friday, she had three blocks and 20 kills in the 3-2 win over ECU. She averaged 1.50 blocks, 3.20 points and 2.40 kills per set over the weekend and added a career-best 11 digs.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Carly Nolan * Jr. * OH * Cincinnati
Nolan earned her eighth and ninth double-doubles of the season over the weekend, averaging 4.22 kills and 4.11 digs per set. She had 18 kills and 15 digs in a 3-1 win over Tulsa before reaching 20 kills and 22 digs in five-set loss to SMU. Nolan earned her 1,000th career kill on Sunday, becoming the 20th Bearcat to do so.
Kayla Williams * R-So. * OH * UConn
Williams averaged a conference weekend-high 5.00 kills per set while on the road at Houston and Tulane over the weekend. She earned her seventh double-double with 18 kills and 10 digs against the Cougars and had 17 kills and nine digs in a 3-1 win over the Green Wave.
Brandee Markwith * So. * DS/L * ECU
Markwith had 50 digs in the Pirates’ two away matches over the weekend, averaging 5.56 per set. She had 27 digs, as ECU took SMU to five sets on Friday. Markwith registered a flawless reception percentage with 40 passes and no errors through the Pirates’ two matches. She had another 23 digs in a 3-1 win over Tulsa.
Megan Duncan * So. * OH/RS * Houston
Duncan reached double digits in kills twice to lead Houston in both its matches over the weekend. The Cougars swept UConn on Friday, snapping a 24-conference match losing streak, as Duncan led the charge with 15 kills, a .419 hitting percentage and added four blocks. She carried the momentum into Sunday, recording another 16 kills in a 2-3 loss to Temple. She averaged 3.88 kills and 0.75 blocks per set over the weekend.
Kyra Coundourides * Sr. * S * Temple
Coundourides racked up two double-doubles in Temple’s two wins over the weekend. The senior setter had 48 assists and 10 digs in the four-set win over Tulane, and 49 assists and 12 digs in the 3-2 win over Houston. Coundourides averaged 10.78 assists and 2.44 digs per set, while adding nine total kills and hitting .450 with no errors through the Owls’ pair of wins.