PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly volleyball honors for the week ending Sunday, Nov. 10.
Offensive Player of the Week
McKenna Melville * So. * OH * UCF
Melville logged an all-around weekend for UCF that featured a 1-1 record against East Division competition, placing second in The American in kills (38) and kills per set (5.43) while swinging at a .352 clip. She also led all conference outside hitters with 28 digs and 4.00 digs per set in her two double-double efforts. Melville opened the weekend with 18 kills, no errors, a .543 hitting percentage, two aces and 14 digs in a sweep of East Carolina at The Venue in Orlando, Florida. Against conference leader Cincinnati on Sunday, the UCF sophomore turned in 20 kills, 14 digs and three total blocks against the one-loss Bearcats. Melville’s 17 double-doubles over her first 26 starts this season lead The American, her 4.45 kills per set average ranks second in the league and she remains among the conference top 20 in both hitting percentage and digs per set for the year.
Defensive Player of the Week
Taylor Horsfall * Sr. * DS/L * Tulsa
Horsfall claimed weekly defensive player of the week honors for the sixth time this season after leading The American with 69 digs and an 8.62 digs per set average with no reception errors last week. Horsfall kicked off the week with 36 digs in a four-set triumph at home against West Division foe Memphis. Against West Division leader SMU on Sunday, Horsfall recorded a match-high 33 digs (her seventh 30-dig match of this season) to go along with four assists against the Mustangs. Horsfall leads The American with 6.17 digs per set over her first 27 matches this season, ranking third in the nation with the average, and is one of only five players in Division I averaging over 6.00 digs per set in 2019.
Weekly Honor Roll
Montana Watts * Sr. * L * SMU
Led SMU with 47 total digs and a 5.88 digs per set average in an unbeaten weekend for the West Division leading Mustangs; logged 21 digs, four assists and two aces in a four-set win at Wichita State before adding 26 digs and three assists in another victory in four sets on Sunday at Tulsa
Kaitlyn Gehler * So. * L * Memphis
Guided Memphis with 54 digs and a 6.00 digs per set clip in a 1-1 weekend for the Tigers; turned in 24 digs and five assists in a four-set defeat at Tulsa before rebounding with 30 digs, six assists and two kills in five sets at Wichita State on Sunday
Katie Karbo * Sr. * DS/L * Houston
Led Houston with 56 digs and 6.22 digs per set last weekend; registered 29 digs, four assists and four service aces against Tulane and chipped in 27 digs and four assists on Sunday against UConn
Bri Wood * Jr. * RS * East Carolina
Led East Carolina with 26 kills and 3.71 kills per set and averaged 3.57 digs per set in an 1-1 weekend for the Pirates; notched nine kills and seven digs on Friday at UCF before turning in 17 kills, a .500 hitting percentage and 18 digs on Sunday at USF
Armania Heckenmueller * So. * S * Cincinnati
Finished atop The American for the weekend with 14.43 assists per set (101 total assists) and added 2.29 digs per set for conference leader Cincinnati; posted 45 assists and seven digs in a sweep at USF on Friday and chipped in 56 assists and nine digs on Sunday in a four-set win at UCF