Beil, Potter Named Volleyball Players of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS -- Valparaiso freshman Morgan Beil has been named Horizon League Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, while Milwaukee senior Morgan Potter has earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period of Sept. 12 - Sept. 18.

Beil, a middle blocker from St. Louis, Mo., had an attack percentage of .403 with 36 kills, while also contributing 11 blocks, seven digs and three service aces last week to win conference offensive honors. On Wednesday, in the first Horizon League volleyball match of the season, Beil had a .688 hitting percentage as the Crusaders defeated UIC, 3-0. Over the weekend, Valparaiso played in the DePaul Invitational, where the team went 2-1 with its only loss coming in five sets to Kansas, which received votes in last week’s national rankings. Beil had a career-high 13 kills against the Jayhawks and was named to the All-Tournament team.

Beil and her teammates are on the road this week in conference play. The Crusaders play at Green Bay Friday and at Loyola Saturday.

Potter, a defensive specialist from Stoughton, Wis., had 52 digs (5.2 per set) in helping the Panthers win two of three matches last week. She had 24 digs in Milwaukee’s four-set win over Green Bay on Friday and followed up with 14 digs in a three-set sweep of Loyola on Saturday to help Milwaukee open conference play with a 2-0 record. Over the weekend, the Panthers’ defense held Green Bay and Loyola to a combined .186 hitting clip.

Milwaukee hosts Butler and Wright State this week.

Other Top Performers for the Week:

Brittany Groth, Green Bay (Jr., L) - Groth leads the conference in digs after one week of league play. She had 29 digs in the Phoenix’s four-set loss to Milwaukee Friday, an average of 7.25 per set.

Kara Koch, Cleveland State (Jr., OH) - Koch had 29 kills for Cleveland State last weekend as the Vikings won both of their matches to open conference play at 2-0. She had a team-high 15 kills at Butler, her fifth match with 15 or more kills this season.

Stephanie Kranda, Butler (Fr., MB) - Kranda had 11 blocks last weekend for the Bulldogs. She had eight blocks against Cleveland State Friday, the most blocks in a three-set match by any Horizon League player this season. Kranda also contributed six kills and nine digs combined in Butler’s two matches.

Heidi Splinter, Wright State (So., OH) - Splinter had 35 kills and 34 digs in three matches last week for the Raiders. She hit .324 with 15 kills and 12 digs against Miami (OH) in Wright State’s four-set loss. In conference play, she had eight kills and 17 digs in a straight-set win over Youngstown State and had 12 kills in WSU’s loss to Cleveland State.