PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly volleyball honors for the week ending Sunday, Oct. 20.
Offensive Player of the Week
Hannah Flowers * Jr. * RS * Memphis
Flowers was the key offensive piece in a 2-0 Memphis weekend, registering one of the most efficient offensive showings of the season by any player in The American. She led the Tigers with a .431 hitting percentage and 36 total kills (4.50 kills per set) over two matches, adding in seven digs and nine total blocks. Flowers opened the weekend with 22 kills, six block assists and a pair of digs in a five-set victory over UConn. She then hit a sparkling .824 on Sunday against Temple, converting 14-of-17 total attacks with no errors to go along with five digs and three blocks in a sweep of the Owls. Flowers’ hitting percentage was the second-highest by any player in The American this season with at least 12 kills (the highest in a three-set match), and was the second-best clip in a three-set match in conference history. Her hitting percentage also ranked seventh in Division I this season as of Oct. 20 for all players with 15-19 total attack attempts in a match.
Defensive Player of the Week
Rachel Tullos * Fr. * MB * Houston
Tullos put together a historic defensive weekend to claim her first career conference defensive player of the week honor, re-writing The American record book in the process. She averaged 2.00 blocks per set against East Carolina and Cincinnati, leading all players in the conference with 20 total blocks and six solo blocks for the weekend. Tullos finished with three blocks and a pair of digs in a five-set triumph over ECU on Friday, adding five kills on .333 hitting. Against East Division leader Cincinnati on Sunday, Tullos registered an impressive 17 total blocks that included five solo blocks in a heartbreaking defeat in five frames at the hands of the Bearcats. The 17 blocks established an American Athletic Conference record for a single match, smashing the previous mark of 13 held by four different players, and were the most by any player in a single match in Division I this season. It was believed to be just the fourth time since 2014 that any NCAA player has recorded 17 or more blocks in a five-set match.
Weekly Honor Roll
Taylor Horsfall * Sr. * DS/L * Tulsa
Led The American with 53 total digs and 8.33 digs per set in a 1-1 week for Tulsa; notched 22 digs and seven assists in a Friday sweep of USF before posting 31 digs in three sets, the first Golden Hurricane player with 30 or more digs in a three-set match since at least 2002, in a defeat at the hands of UCF on Sunday
Lily Heim * So. * S * SMU
Finished second in The American with 12.00 assists per set in a pair of sweeps for SMU; logged 35 assists, five digs and three blocks in straight sets against Temple to go along with 37 assists and four digs versus UConn
Armania Heckenmueller * So. * S * Cincinnati
Recorded her third 60-assist match of the season, finishing with 64 helpers and 12 digs in a Sunday win at Houston after posting 31 assists, six digs and two service aces on Friday at Tulane
Lache Harper * R-Jr. * OH/MB * UCF
Led The American with 2.14 blocks per set in a 2-0 weekend for UCF, adding six kills and 12 digs to the stat line; notched a team-high 10 blocks to go along with 10 digs and five kills in a win at Wichita State on Friday before finishing with five blocks, a pair of digs and two aces in a Sunday sweep at Tulsa
Arianna Arjomand * Fr. * DS/L * Wichita State
Led Wichita State with a 4.14 digs per set average during a 1-1 weekend, accounting for only one reception error in 45 attempts; posted 15 digs and three assists in four sets against UCF before chipping in 14 digs and four assists in a sweep of USF