KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new volleyball athletes of the week from the second week of the 2025 season. Missouri Western’s Taylor Russell was named the Offensive Athlete of the Week, Central Oklahoma’s Mikiah Perdue was named the Defensive Athlete of the Week and Nebraska Kearney’s Peyton Neff was named the Setter of the Week.  
 
OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Taylor Russell, Missouri Western
Taylor Russell showcased her impact across four matches at the 2025 Colorado Premier Challenge, hosted by Regis University in Denver, Colo. The junior rightside hitter led the Griffons offense with 3.50 kills per set on .339 hitting, helping Missouri Western to wins against No. 2 Angelo State (3-1) and No. 11 Concordia-St Paul (3-1). Russell opened the weekend with 12 kills on a .281 hitting percentage and added four block assists against the No. 2-ranked team in Division II. Later that day, she delivered one of her most efficient performances, tallying 21 kills on a .486 hitting percentage while adding a block assist and a solo block in the Griffs’ win over the No. 11-ranked Golden Bears. On Saturday, Russell contributed seven kills and three block assists against (RV) West Florida (Lost 3-1) before capping the weekend with 16 kills on a .400 hitting percentage, plus 3 block assists, against No. 25 Wayne State (Lost 3-1).
 
DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Mikiah Perdue, Central Oklahoma    
Mikiah Perdue helped No. 4 Central Oklahoma to a 5-0 week with a non-conference win at home over Oklahoma Baptist (3-0) and a four-game sweep of the Rattler Invitational at St. Mary's in San Antonio. Perdue was dominant this week, leading the Bronchos defensive efforts with 20 blocks at the net. The senior averaged 1.33 blocks per set, turning back four solo blocks with 16 block-assists. Perdue had four block-assists in three straight matches to end the week. She also had 40 kills, 2.67 per set, and hit .326 from her position in the middle, and landed a season-high 13 kills against Texas A&M International. Perdue was named to the Rattler Invitational All-Tournament Team following the event. 
 
SETTER OF THE WEEK: Peyton Neff, Nebraska Kearney      
Peyton Neff totaled a league-high 168 assists over the weekend as she helped the No. 8 Lopers to five home wins – all in straight sets. The graduate student averaged 12.0 assists, 2.6 digs, 0.5 kills, and 0.4 blocks per set while hitting .263. She also served up two aces as Nebraska Kearney hit .336 as a team and managed 15.5 kills per set.
 
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Austin Broadie, Washburn
Austin Broadie led the No. 12 Ichabods in kills in three of the four matches over the weekend at the Washburn Invitational, where Washburn finished 4-0 in straight sets and Broadie was crowned the tournament MVP. The senior middle hitter hit a league-best .437 over the weekend while slashing 43 kills across just 12 sets (3.58 per set). In the tournament finale against William Jewell, Broadie knocked down 17 kills in 28 attempts without an error for a .607 hitting percentage – the 17th highest single-match hitting percentage in program history. Broadie also added three blocks on the week.
 
Carly Purdy, Nebraska Kearney
Carly Purdy helped the No. 8 Lopers to a 5-0 record at home over the weekend with an MIAA-leading 4.1 kills per set while hitting .237. The outside hitter totaled 17 kills against Missouri-St. Lous, 15 against South Dakota Mines and another 12 against Sioux Falls. 

Anna Weberg, Missouri Western
Anna Weberg anchored the Griffons’ defense with back-to-back strong outings at the Colorado Premier Challenge as Missouri Western defeated a pair of ranked opponents to open the event on Friday (Sept. 12). Weberg tallied 21 digs, four assists and a service ace against No. 2 Angelo State, then followed with 21 digs and three assists versus No. 11 Concordia–St. Paul. On Saturday, she continued her steady play, recording 19 digs and four assists against West Florida before adding 13 digs and three assists in the finale against Wayne State (NE). Weberg anchored the Griffons’ back row across the two-day stretch, racking up an MIAA-leading 74 digs and providing steady defensive coverage that proved pivotal in MWSU’s Friday wins over a pair of Top-11 opponents.
 
Grace Winkelmann, Central Missouri
The Jennies went 2-1 this past weekend at the Hampton Inn & Suites Grand Rapids Downtown Classic, sweeping No. 13 Grand Valley State inside the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Mich., and defeating Hillsdale 3-1 on the opening day of the tournament. Winkelmann collected 60 digs overall, averaging five per set, while adding seven assists, four aces, and two kills for good measure. The redshirt senior libero totaled 15 digs in the victory against the ranked Lakers, 21 against Hillsdale, and 24 against the Oilers, which were all team-highs.
 
Lindsey Houran, Central Oklahoma
Lindsey Houran helped No. 4 Central Oklahoma to a 5-0 weekend with a non-conference win at home over Oklahoma Baptist and a four-game sweep of the Rattler Invitational at St. Mary's in San Antonio. Houran led the Bronchos, who have yet to lose a set this season, by dishing out 145 assists on the week. The senior setter averaged 11.15 assists per set, playing 13-of-15 sets on the week. Houran also had 11 kills and a pair of service aces and helped defensively with 49 digs and five blocks.
 
ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE – Kamryn Glover [Central Oklahoma], Moesch Alana [Missouri Southern], Rachel Ziesman [Central Missouri], Delainee Dexter [Emporia State], Kassidy Nixon [Pittsburg State], Kasidy Mohwinkle [Northwest Missouri], Caiya Stucky Reyes [Fort Hays State],
DEFENSE – Ellie Spang [Nebraska Kearney], Ashlyn Reeves [Fort Hays State], Karsen VanScoy [Northwest Missouri], Josie McCroskey [Pittsburg State], Mia Frisbie [Emporia State, Tori Hamilton [Missouri Southern]
SETTER – Kayla Baer [Central Missouri], Corinna McMullen [Washburn], Jess Wallace [Pittsburg State], Allick Hannah [Missouri Southern], Ella Caffery [Northwest Missouri], Abrey Galt [Fort Hays State]
 

---

WEEK ONE:
Offensive – Kedron Burk, Central Oklahoma
Defensive – Kaitly Parrott, Central Oklahoma
Setter – Lindsey Houran, Central Oklahoma   
 
WEEK TWO:
Offensive – Taylor Russell, Missouri Western
Defensive – Mikiah Perdue, Central Oklahoma
Setter – Peyton Neff, Nebraska Kearney