PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s final 2019 weekly volleyball honors for the week ending Sunday, Nov. 17.
Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan Thompson * R-Sr. * RS/OH * Cincinnati
Thompson claimed offensive player of the week honors for the seventh time this season, leading Cincinnati to a 2-0 mark last weekend and the East Division title at 15-1 for the year in The American. Thompson paced all conference players with 6.00 kills per set and 6.42 points per set last weekend, ranking third with 36 total kills and sixth in hitting percentage after attacking at a .364 clip over six sets. She opened the final Friday of the regular season swinging .412 with 18 kills, two digs and a solo block at East Carolina to sew up the East Division and top tournament seed for the Bearcats. Thompson capped her regular season career with 18 more kills on Sunday against Tulsa, becoming just the ninth player in NCAA Division I history with more than 2,500 career kills, to go along with nine digs and three assists in a sweep of the Golden Hurricane. Entering this weekend’s conference tournament, Thompson leads all players in DI volleyball in total kills, kills per set, points and points per set.
Defensive Player of the Week
Montana Watts * Sr. * L * SMU
Watts was the top libero in The American during the final weekend of the regular season, helping guide SMU to a sweep of Houston on Sunday to capture the top spot in the West Division with an 11-5 conference mark. Watts paced the conference with 62 total digs and 7.75 digs per set to claim league defensive player of the week honors for the fourth time in her career. Watts opened the final weekend with 39 digs against Tulane, the highest single-match dig total in The American this season, in a hard-luck loss in five sets to the Green Wave. She bounced back on Sunday in a battle for the West Division crown with Houston, turning in 23 digs and two assists in an emphatic sweep of the Cougars. Over 16 conference matches in 2019, Watts ranked second in The American with 5.09 digs per set.
Weekly Honor Roll
Armania Heckenmueller * So. * S * Cincinnati
Led The American with 86 assists and 14.33 assists per set in a 2-0 weekend for Cincinnati to close the regular season; registered 45 assists and 12 digs in a sweep at East Carolina on Friday before racking up 41 assists and 10 digs on Sunday in three sets versus Tulsa
Miray Bolukbasi * So. * OH * Temple
Topped The American with 43 kills and finished second in the league with 5.38 kills per set and 5.75 points per set last weekend for Temple; logged 22 kills and seven digs in a defeat at UCF on Friday before adding 21 kills, 15 digs and four block assists to the stat sheet in a sweep of USF on Sunday
McKenna Melville * So. * OH * UCF
Paced UCF with 37 kills and 5.29 kills per set while adding 20 digs in a 2-0 weekend for the Knights; swung at a .405 clip with 18 kills and six digs in a sweep at Temple before posting 18 kills and 14 digs in three sets on Sunday at UConn
Hannah Flowers * Jr. * RS * Memphis
Guided the Memphis offense with 28 kills and 4.00 kills per set in the final weekend of the regular season, adding in a .352 hitting percentage; hit .355 with 16 kills and three digs on Friday versus Houston before chipping in 12 kills, two aces, six digs and three block assists in a Sunday sweep of Tulane
Kaylie McHugh * Sr. * L * Tulane
Averaged 5.12 digs per set (41 total digs) to go along with 10 assists and three aces in a 1-1 Tulane weekend; fashioned 23 digs and six assists in a Friday win at SMU before notching 18 digs, four assists and two aces on Sunday at Memphis