IRVING, Texas – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly women’s volleyball honors, for the week ending Sunday, September 5.
Offensive Player of the Week
Sabrina Bianco * Sr. * S * Memphis
Bianco and Memphis remained tied at the top of The American at 6-0, with the Tigers yet to drop a set through two weeks of play this season. Memphis also led the conference in hitting percentage for the second straight week (.246). Bianco logged 39 assists and the Tigers hit .308 as a squad against Missouri State on Sept. 3. Later in the day against Little Rock, Bianco narrowly missed a double-double with 37 assists and eight digs. Bianco closed the weekend against Central Arkansas on Sept. 4 with 37 assists, three kills, two service aces and six digs.
Defensive Player of the Week
Maria Mallon * Sr. * OH * Cincinnati
Mallon was an all-around star for Cincinnati in a 2-1 weekend at Notre Dame’s Shamrock Invitational, leading The American with 70 digs and 5.38 digs per set while adding the third-most points per set in the league at 4.50. Against Notre Dame on Sept. 4, Mallon logged 25 digs in a four-set win against the Irish. In a five-set thriller versus Bowling Green to cap the tournament on Sept. 5, Mallon tallied 32 digs and three total blocks to guide Cincinnati to the win.
Weekly Honor Roll
McKenna Melville * Sr. * OH * UCF
Led The American with 6.14 points per set and 5.55 kills per set for UCF at the Palmetto Showdown; hit .357 with 19 kills, seven digs and four blocks in a four-set win against Clemon on Sept. 2 and fashioned back-to-back 20-plus kill efforts against No. 24 South Carolina (Sept. 2-3)
Isabel Theut * Sr. * MB * Houston
Ranked fourth in The American with a .415 hitting percentage in a 3-0 week for Houston; hit .450 with 11 kills and five block assists in five sets against Mississippi State on Sept. 3 and logged a .545 clip with eight kills against ULM on Sept. 4
Rachel Tullos * Jr. * MB * Houston
Led the conference with 1.50 blocks per set for 3-0 Houston during the Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup tournament; registered seven block assists and hit .357 with seven kills against Mississippi State on Sept. 3 and added eight total blocks (three solo) against McNeese on Sept. 4
Gem Grimshaw * Jr. * OH * Temple
Finished fifth in The American with 4.31 points per set for 1-1 Temple last weekend; logged 14 kills, 14 digs and three block assists against Maryland on Sept. 3 before hitting .345 with 13 kills and nine digs against LIU on Sept. 4
Kayley Cassaday * Jr. * OH * Tulsa
Capped the weekend second in the conference with 4.75 points per set and eighth with 3.58 digs per frame for 2-1 Tulsa; logged three straight double-doubles, including 22 kills on .419 hitting and 11 digs in just three sets against North Texas on Sept. 4