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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly volleyball honors for the week ending on Oct. 8.
 
                        OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bri Wood * Fr. * RS * ECU
Wood fueled the Pirates’ offense, as ECU took down Temple and UConn on the road to enjoy a 2-0 weekend, while moving up to third place in American standings. The freshman notched 18 kills and a .366 hitting percentage to help her side to its first win over the Owls in program history. She carried the momentum into Sunday, recording a .381 hitting percentage with 11 kills in a four-set win over UConn. Wood averaged 3.62 kills and 3.94 points per set, while holding a .371 hitting percentage with just three attacking errors in each match.

                        DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Taylor Horsfall * So. * DS/L * Tulsa
Horsfall reached new heights, setting a school record of 44 digs in a five-set win over UCF on Friday, which also ranks second all-time in conference history. Horsfall averaged a weekend-high 8.30 digs per set after a 39-dig performance through another five-set match against USF on Sunday. Horsfall leads all American back row players with 7.12 digs per set in conference action this year.
 
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL   
Alex Mendoza * Sr. * S * USF
Mendoza paced the Bulls with 11.37 assists and 4.12 digs per set over the weekend. She reached her fifth and sixth double-doubles of the season, recording 38 assists and 15 digs against SMU and 53 assists and a season-high 18 digs in a 3-2 win over Tulsa.

Kelly Brunstein * Jr. * MB * SMU
Brunstein was a force at the net, as SMU had its third straight 2-0 weekend and is off to its best start to an American season with a 6-0 record. She led the Mustangs in blocks with eight against USF and had five more stuffs against UCF. She also led SMU with 10 kills and recorded a .350 hitting percentage in the sweep over the Knights. Brunstein averaged a weekend-high 1.86 blocks per set.
 
Izzy Rapacz * Sr. * OH/RS * Temple
Rapacz averaged 4.38 kills and 3.38 digs per set with two double-doubles over the weekend. On Friday, she led Temple with 18 kills and added 14 digs and two blocks against ECU. She led her team’s offense again on Sunday with another 17 kills, while adding 13 digs and four blocks in a 3-1 win over Cincinnati. She has six double-doubles this season.  
 
Emily Thorson * Jr. * OH * Tulsa
Thorson powered Tulsa’s offense through its two matches over the weekend, averaging 4.70 kills and 5.00 points per set. She put down a career-high 25 kills against USF and had another 22 kills in a five-set win over UCF. She also earned her seventh and eighth double-doubles this year, averaging 13 digs and 23.6 kills per match. She has 114 kills in conference action this year, which are the most in the league.

Tabitha Brown * Jr. * OH * Wichita State²⁴
Brown had two double-doubles and led the Shockers’ offense, as Wichita State²⁴ swept its weekend opponents. Brown hit .324 in both matches, while averaging a weekend-high 4.83 kills to lead all conference hitters. She had 14 kills against Tulane and 15 against Houston. She also averaged 4.17 digs per set and 12.5 digs per match. With a 6-0 record, the Shockers are off to their best conference start since 2008.