KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its weekly award winners for the fourth week of the 2023 volleyball season.
MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week – Emersen Cyza, Nebraska Kearney
Emersen Cyza had her best weekend of the 2023 season as the Lopers picked up three wins. The redshirt senior totaled 3.22 kills per set while hitting .387 and not having a single error in 75 attempts. Against MIAA opponents, Cyza collected 15 kills and hit .405 in Nebraska Kearney’s 3-1 win over No. 21-ranked Central Oklahoma, then went for 11 kills and hit .333 in the Lopers 3-1 victory over Pittsburg State.
MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week – Kyah Luhring, Northwest Missouri
Kyah Luhring set a Bearcat school record for digs in a three-set match with 31 against Newman. Her 31 digs ranks second in Division II this year in three-set matches. In two Northwest victories, Luhring averaged 8.17 digs per set in six sets of action. She tallied 18 digs in a sweep at Missouri Western before her record-breaking effort against the Jets in Bearcat Arena.
MIAA Setter of the Week – Ella Caffery, Northwest Missouri
Ella Caffery averaged 11.40 assists per set and hit .389 with eight kills in leading Northwest to two MIAA sweeps. Caffery had 31 assists and four kills at a .364 hitting percentage in a 3-0 win at Missouri Western. She also added six digs and a block assist in the three-set triumph. Caffery then tallied 26 assists and four kills at a .429 hitting percentage in a 3-0 victory over Newman. Caffery also contributed nine digs and a block assist against the Jets.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Offensive
Abby Brunssen – Northwest Missouri
Abby Brunssen hit .538 with a team-best 14 kills in helping the Bearcats to a pair of 3-0 MIAA sweeps. The junior did not have an attack error on 26 swings in the two matches. Brunssen had nine kill and hit .563 in the Bearcats 3-0 win at Missouri Western. She also added two digs and a solo block against the Griffons. She then tallied five kills and hit .500 with two blocks in a 3-0 triumph over Newman.
Jayln Stevenson – Washburn
Jayln Stevenson had a combined 30 kills over the weekend (4.28 kills per set) and added 25 digs (3.57 digs per set) while hitting .222. Stevenson also tossed in a combined four blocks in the two matches.
Defensive
Grace Southern – Central Missouri
Grace Southern, a redshirt junior middle blocker, had 16 blocks in three matches, including seven in the 3-1 victory over Emporia State. She currently leads the MIAA with 1.32 blocks per set.
Jaedynn Evans – Central Oklahoma
Jaedynn Evans continued to lead the defense as No. 21-ranked Central Oklahoma went 1-1 this week. The Bronchos dropped their first MIAA game at No. 10 Nebraska Kearney before reboundig with a win at Fort Hays State. Evans managed 41 digs in two matches, averaging 5.86 per set. She totaled 17 digs at UNK and 24 in the win over FHSU.
Setter
Olivia Olson – Central Missouri
The reigning MIAA Setter of the Week had 140 assists (11.67 assists per set) adding 31 digs, 16 kills, 11 blocks and eight service aces for good measure helping the Jens go 2-1 last week. Against No. 25-ranked Rockhurst, Olson was one kill shy of a triple-double (match-high 59 assists, 15 digs and nine kills overall) while picking up her team-leading ninth double-double of the year (match-high 34 assists, 11 digs, three blocks and three kills) in the 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-22) sweep of No. 13-ranked Washburn.
NOMINATIONS FOR VOLLEYBALL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Offensive: Sandora Sasaki (Emporia State), Jenna Karp (Central Oklahoma), Elinor Engel (Central Missouri)
Defensive: Carly Clennan (Pittsburg State), Ashlyn Reeves (Fort Hays State)
Setter: Peyton Neff (Nebraska Kearney), Riley Roberts (Central Oklahoma), Jadyn Jackson (Pittsburg State)
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
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
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