KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its weekly award winners for the seventh week of the 2023 volleyball season.
MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week – Taylor Russell, Missouri Western
Taylor Russell totaled 41 kills (3.7 kills per set) with a .416 hitting percentage through three MIAA contests last week. After helping her Griffons sweep Pittsburg State with eight kills and three blocks, the freshman hitter turned things up a whole notch the following night with a career-highs of 26 kills and four blocks a five-set loss to No. 21-ranked Central Oklahoma. Not only are Russell’s 26 kills against the ranked Bronchos a team-high this season, but it’s the most single-match kills by any MIAA player so far this fall and falls just two shy of tying an MWSU single-match record.
MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week – Jaedynn Evans, Central Oklahoma
Jaedynn Evans has been named the MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week for the third consecutive week. The junior libero continued her dominant ways on defense in leading No. 21-ranked Central Oklahoma to a pair of MIAA road wins this week. She averaged 7.75 digs per set through eight sets played to collect 62 digs over two matches. Evans totaled 27 digs against Northwest Missouri and made 35 against Missouri Western. The Bronchos junior also had four assists and one ace on the week.
MIAA Setter of the Week – Lindsay Houran, Central Oklahoma
Lindsey Houran set up a Broncho offense that averaged 14.75 kills per set through two MIAA road victories this week. Houran dished out 93 total assists in two matches for 11.63 dig per set through eight sets played. The sophomore also added 25 digs, four kills, two blocks, and one service ace. Houran totaled 46 assists at Northwest and added 47 assists at Missouri Western. Houran is up to 650 assists this season and just crossed the 2,000 assist mark for her career this weekend.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Offensive
Sandora Sasaki – Emporia State
Sandora Sasaki recorded 15 kills in three sets against Washburn before adding 18 kills in a 3-0 win over Newman. Her 18 kills in the three-set win over the Lions matches her personal and the MIAA best this season for most kills in a three-set match. Sasaki’s 5.5 kills per set against the Ichabods and Lions increases her season average to 4.41 kills per set.
Jalyn Stevenson – Washburn
Stevenson led the Ichabods with 20 combined kills while hitting .500 on the week. In Washburn’s sweep of the Hornets, the junior knocked down 13 kills while hitting .545 and had a double-double with 13 digs.
Kersti Nix – Centraal Missouri
Kersti Nix helped the Jens to a 1-2 record last week which included collecting her 1,000th career kill in the opening set of a 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 25-17) win over Northwest Missouri where she had a match-high 23 kills on 47 swings (.319 hitting percentage) adding two blocks and two digs. Ended the week with 53 kills overall averaging 4.42 kills per set.
Defensive
Emily Ellis – Fort Hays State
Emily Ellis recorded 16 blocks over three matches, including nine in a five-set win for Fort Hays State over Central Missouri. She averaged 1.23 blocks per set and 1.23 digs per set, while putting down 29 kills (2.23 per set) and hitting .243 for the week from her middle blocker position. Ellis had 13 kills against Missouri Southern in a five-set match, and then 11 in the win over Central Missouri.
Lyannah Jackson – Washburn
Lyannah Jackson averaged 1.33 blocks per set across the week for an Ichabod defense that allowed more than 15 points in just one set across both matches. Jackson also collected nine kills from the middle and hit .750 for the week.
Setter
Olivia Olson – Central Missouri
Olivia helped the Jennies to a 1-2 record last week highlighted by 141 assists over three matches averaging 11.75 assists per set. Olson collected her team-leading 12th double-double of the season at Fort Hays State with a match-high 51 assists, 13 digs and seven kills for good measure while having a match-high 54 assists and eight digs in the 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 25-17) victory over Northwest Missouri.
Natalie Laiolo – Northwest Missouri
Natalie Laiolo averaged 10.20 assists per set and 2.40 digs per set as Northwest went 2-1. Laiolo had 38 assists and eight digs at Central Missouri. She added 31 assists, 11 digs and four kills against No. 21-ranked Central Oklahoma. Laiolo put up 33 assists, five digs and five blocks in a 3-0 win over Pittsburg State.
NOMINATIONS FOR VOLLEYBALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Offensive: Mallorie Koehn (Central Oklahoma), Jaden Ferguson (Nebraska Kearney), Gracie Rains (Fort Hays State)
Defensive: Kyah Luhring (Northwest Missouri), Jackie Storm (Northwest Missouri), Lauren Taubenheim (Nebraska Kearney)
2023 MIAA VOLLEYBALL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Offensive Athlete of the Week
Week One: Sandora Sasaki, Emporia State
Week Two: Kersti Nix, Central Missouri
Week Three: Rachel Schwensen, Washburn
Week Four: Emersen Cyza, Nebraska Kearney
Week Five: Elinor Engel, Central Missouri & Jenna Karp, Central Oklahoma
Week Six: Sandora Saski, Emporia State
Week Seven: Taylor Russell, Missouri Western
Defensive Athlete of the Week
Week One: Celeste Friesen, Nebraska Kearney
Week Two: Emily Ellis, Fort Hays State
Week Three: Jaedynn Evans, Central Oklahoma
Week Four: Kyah Luhring, Northwest Missouri
Week Five: Jaedynn Evans, Central Oklahoma
Week Six: Jaedynn Evans, Central Oklahoma
Week Seven: Jaedynn Evans, Central Oklahoma
Setter Athlete of the Week
Week One: Peyton Neff, Nebraska Kearney
Week Two: Nessa Johnson, Missouri Western
Week Three: Olivia Olson, Central Missouri
Week Four: Ella Caffery, Northwest Missouri
Week Five: Lindsey Houran, Central Oklahoma
Week Six: Peyton Neff, Nebraska Kearney
Week Seven: Lindsey Houran, Central Oklahoma