KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new volleyball athletes of the week for week nine of the 2026 season. Three student-athletes from three different MIAA institutions earned first-time honors in Week Nine with Nebraska Kearney’s Sydney Davis named the Offensive Athlete of the Week, Northwest Missouri’s Ellery Luhring named the Defensive Athlete of the Week, and Arkansas-Fort Smith’s Mayli Whetter named the Setter of the Week.  

 OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Sydney Davis, Nebraska Kearney   
Sydney Davis led the No. 4-ranked Lopers to a 2-0 week against MIAA opponents, defeating both Newman and Central Oklahoma 3-1 on the road. The senior middle blocker averaged 4.38 points and 3.38 kills per set while posting an MIAA-leading .615 hitting percentage on the week. Davis hit .813 with 14 kills in the four-set win over the Jets last Friday (Oct. 23) before adding 13 kills on .478 hitting in the four-set win over the Bronchos on Saturday (Oct. 24). She also had 10 blocks, nine digs, four assists and an ace on the week. Davis marks the third straight week a Loper has been crowned MIAA volleyball’s Offensive Athlete of the Week.
 
 DEFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Ellery Luhring, Northwest Missouri      
Ellery Luhring posted the most digs in a three-set match by any NCAA Division II volleyball player this season during the Bearcats’ mid-week match against Missouri Western. The junior Libero totaled 34 digs in three sets against the No. 11-ranked Griffons, setting a new school record for digs in a three-set match. She had 14 digs in the first set, five in the second and 15 in the third. Luhring then added 19 digs against No. 15-ranked Washburn in a 3-0 loss Saturday (Oct. 24) in Topeka, Kan. For the week, Luhring averaged an MIAA-leading 8.83 digs per set to earn her first MIAA Athlete of the Week honor this season.

 SETTER OF THE WEEK:  Mayli Whetter, Arkansas-Fort Smith      
Mayli Whetter helped the Lions to three wins last week while leading all MIAA setters with 119 total assists and 10.82 assists per set. After opening the week with a match-high 33 assists in a three-set sweep of Southeastern Oklahoma last Monday (Oct. 19), Whetter recorded back-to-back double-double matches, beginning with 54 assists and 16 digs in a 3-2 win over East Central on Tuesday (Oct. 19). The freshman then added 32 assists and 14 digs in a 3-0 sweep of Northeastern State on Friday (Oct. 23). Whetter is the first Lion to be named the Setter of the Week and only the second UAFS player this season to earn an MIAA Athlete of the Week honor.

OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Tanith Roush, Missouri Western     
Tanith Roush led the No. 11-ranked Griffons with 27 kills across seven sets, averaging 3.86 kills per set while hitting .407 with just three attacking errors on 59 attempts. In Tuesday's 3-0 sweep of Northwest Missouri, Roush recorded 11 kills while hitting .391. She followed with a match-high 16 kills on a .417 hitting percentage in Friday's 3-1 road victory over No. 15 Washburn, adding two block assists. Roush finished the week with 28 points, averaging 4.00 points per set, helping MoWest secure two road victories, including a ranked win over the Ichabods.
 
Maddi LaPointe, Pittsburg State     
Maddi LaPointe helped lead the Gorillas through a pair of sweeps on the road against Central Missouri (Oct. 22) and Missouri Southern (Oct. 24). The Tulsa, Okla., native averaged 4.50 points from 3.83 kills and 1.17 blocks a set while hitting .488. LaPointe recorded 13 kills while hitting .565  in the 3-0 win over the Jennies, adding five total blocks for 15.5 points in Warrensburg. She ended the weekend with a 10-kill (.400 hitting percentage), two-block performance for 11.5 points against the Lions in Joplin. This season, the redshirt junior has reached double-digit kill totals in 16 matches, including being on a six-match streak right now of accomplishing the feat, with five instances coming in three set victories.
 
Anna Weberg, Missouri Western       
Anna Weberg anchored the No. 11 Griffon defense with an MIAA-leading 56 total digs across seven sets, averaging 8.00 digs per set. In Tuesday's 3-0 sweep of Northwest Missouri, Weberg recorded 30 digs in just three sets, averaging 10.00 digs per set. She followed with 26 digs in Friday's 3-1 road victory over No. 15 Washburn. Weberg also added two service aces and five assists while posting a perfect 1.000 reception percentage on 18 attempts without a reception error.
 
Riley Roberts, Central Oklahoma       
Riley Roberts continued to lead Central Oklahoma last week as the Bronchos went 1-1 against MIAA opponents at home. The senior dished out 81 assists in two matches, averaging 9.0 assists per set. She totaled 47 assists in the five-set win against Fort Hays State on Friday (Oct. 23) and added 34 more in the four-set loss to No. 4-ranked Nebraska Kearney on Saturday (Oct. 24). Roberts also had 10 kills on the week.
 
ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE – Aspen Olson [Arkansas-Fort Smith], Georgia Ahlert [Central Oklahoma], Piper Bahr [Emporia State], Carsyn Cormaney [Fort Hays State]
DEFENSE – Ryann Hamilton [Emporia State], Ashleyn Reeves [Fort Hays State], Taylor Rottinghaus [Washburn], Amariah White [Pittsburg State], Sophia Thompson [Nebraska Kearney], Kaitlyn Parrott [Central Oklahoma]
SETTER – Callie Squiers [Nebraska Kearney], Jesa Wallace [Pittsburg State], Brailee Bogle [Emporia State], Annie Eaton [Fort Hays State]
 

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WEEK ONE:
Offensive – Emma Siron, Washburn
Defensive – Ellie Spang, Nebraska Kearney
Setter – Shannon Frakes, Washburn   
 
WEEK TWO:
Offensive – Lydia Pitts, Arkansas-Fort Smith
Defensive – Taylor Rottinghaus, Washburn
Setter – Shannon Frakes, Washburn   
 
WEEK THREE:
Offensive – Lavra Krizanic, Emporia State
Defensive – Kaitlyn Parrott, Central Oklahoma
Setter – Riley Roberts, Central Oklahoma
 
WEEK FOUR:
Offensive – Carly Purdy, Nebraska Kearney
Defensive – Anna Weberg, Missouri Western
Setter – Mya Karrick, Northwest Missouri     
 
WEEK FIVE:
Offensive – Brynne Topolski, Washburn
Defensive – Morgan Manning, Central Oklahoma
Setter – Annie Eaton, Fort Hays State     
 
WEEK SIX:
Offensive – Ella Goodwin, Fort Hays State
Defensive – Anna Weberg, Missouri Western
Setter – Annie Eaton, Fort Hays State     
 
WEEK SEVEN:
Offensive – Brynn Stowell, Nebraska Kearney
Defensive – Crystal Smith, Pittsburg State
Setter – Riley Roberts, Central Oklahoma      

WEEK EIGHT:
Offensive – Brynn Stowell, Nebraska Kearney
Defensive – Ryann Hamilton, Emporia State
Setter – Riley Roberts, Central Oklahoma      
 
WEEK NINE:
Offensive – Sydney Davis, Nebraska Kearney
Defensive – Ellery Luhring, Northwest Missouri
Setter – Mayli Whetter, Arkansas-Fort Smith