PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly volleyball honors for the week ending on Nov. 19.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kristina Fisher * Fr. * OH * UCF
Fisher led the Knights’ offense through two road wins over the weekend to help UCF extend its winning streak to four matches. The freshman outside hitter reached double figure kills in both matches and averaged 4.25 kills per set and a .389 hitting percentage. She connected on 14 kills while hitting .464 in a sweep over third-place Temple and knocked down 20 kills with a .341 hitting percentage in a 3-2 win over UConn.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Abbie Lehman * Sr. * MB * Wichita State21
Lehman earns her fifth consecutive conference weekly honor after guiding her team to another flawless weekend on the way to a first American Athletic Conference regular season title. The senior middle blocker had 10 blocks in a 3-0 win over second-place SMU to hold the Mustangs to hitting just .020, as that win clinched the championship for the Shockers. Lehman also collected three stuffs in a sweep over Tulsa to average 2.17 blocks per set. Lehman added 22 kills and a .500 hitting percentage to the two victories. Wichita State has won 18 consecutive conference matches and is unbeaten in league play.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Maya Muldrow * Sr. * MB * Cincinnati
Muldrow and the Bearcats enjoyed a 2-0 weekend with wins over Tulane and Houston. Muldrow surged on both offense and defense in a 3-1 win over the Green Wave with 11 kills, seven blocks and a .529 hitting percentage. She then put down six kills and had three more stuffs through three sets against the Cougars. She averaged 1.43 blocks per set in the two victories.
Izzy Rapacz * Sr. * OH/RS * Temple
Rapacz continued to shine on all ends of the court for the Owls, as the senior averaged a double-double of 16 kills and 16 digs in two matches. She had 16 kills and 11 digs with a .324 hitting percentage against UCF on Friday and 16 kills and 21 digs to lead Temple in both categories in a four-set win over USF on Sunday.
Justine Bowers * Sr. * S * Tulane
Bowers paced Tulane's offense and assisted on 33 points, while registering nine kills, a .615 hitting percentage, six digs and two service aces against Cincinnati. On Sunday she had a double-double of 52 assists and 13 digs with two more service aces and seven kills, as the Green Wave outlasted ECU through five sets.
Emily Thorson * Jr. * OH * Tulsa
Thorson recorded the most kills by any hitter in the conference all season when she put down 30 while hitting .373 against Memphis on Sunday. The senior outside hitter also had 11 kills against first-place Wichita State on Friday. Over the weekend, she averaged 5.86 kills, 6.07 points and 2.29 digs per set with one double-double.
Emily Hiebert * Sr. * S * Wichita State21
Hiebert paced the Shockers’ explosive offense, as her team averaged a .336 hitting percentage through two matches. The senior setter had 42 assists, while the team hit .348 against Tulsa and set another 34 assists against SMU, to guide Wichita State to hitting .323. She also dumped seven kills through both matches for a .375 hitting percentage. She averaged 12.67 assists per set over the weekend, while the Shockers earned their first American title and extended their conference winning streak to 18 matches.