INDIANAPOLIS -- Milwaukee sophomore Myanna Ruiz has been named Horizon League Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, while her teammate senior Taylor Golabowski has earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period of Sept. 22-28.
Ruiz earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after stepping up with Preseason All-Horizon League Team member Kayla Price out of the lineup. Ruiz opened the weekend with 15 kills on a .321 hitting percentage and 33 assists in UWM’s 3-1 win over UIC. On Saturday, the sophomore from Racine, Wis., recorded her second triple-double of the season with 17 kills, 25 assists and 15 digs as the Panthers ended Valparaiso’s 13-match win streak with a 3-2 win. Ruiz entered the weekend with 39 assists in 13 matches this season, but had 58 in the two matches as she guided the Panther offense with the normal setter Price out of the lineup.
Ruiz is the only player in the League to record a triple-double this season.
Golabowski led UWM’s defensive charge on the weekend. She had 20 digs and four aces in UWM’s 3-1 win over the Flames. She followed that up with a match-high 23 digs and seven assists in the win over the Crusaders as the Panthers held the League’s top-hitting team to its third-lowest hitting percentage of the season.
Milwaukee (7-8, 2-0) is back in action on Friday night when it faces in-state rival Green Bay at 8 p.m. ET.
Other Top Performers for the Week:
Emily Campbell, Valparaiso (So., OH) - Campbell had a match-high 18 kills and hit .400 in Valpo’s sweep of Green Bay on Friday night. She had a match-high 21 kills, including 11 kills in the fourth set to force a fifth set versus Milwaukee. She posted a double-double in both matches.
Sammy Condon, Oakland (Fr., MH) - Condon averaged 1.12 blocks per set last weekend for the Golden Grizzlies. In sweep of YSU, she had seven blocks. She added 10 kills in five-set win over Cleveland State.
Melissa Deatsch, Oakland (So., OH) - Deatsch had a match-high 17 kills on a .484 hitting percentage in Oakland’s sweep of Youngstown State. She tied for match-high honors with 15 in Oakland’s come-from-behind five-set win at Cleveland State at Saturday. She also had 19 digs versus the Vikings.
Lexi Egler, Youngstown State (Sr., OH) - Egler averaged 3.33 kills, 2.67 digs and 1.00 blocks in six sets of play last week. She had 12 kills, 10 digs and three blocks in YSU’s sweep of Wright State.
Maggie Hannon, Cleveland State (Sr., MH) - Hannon posted a team-high 15 kills against Oakland, hitting .393 (15-4-28). She also tallied seven blocks against Oakland. She finished the weekend with a team-best .333 hitting percentage.
Nikki Holmes, Cleveland State (Jr., L) - Holmes recorded 25 digs against Oakland, her fourth 20-dig match of the season. She added 10 assists against the Golden Grizzlies to post her first career double-double.
Megan Hopkins, Wright State (Fr., OH) - Hopkins hit .280 (9-2-25) with two block assists at Youngstown State. She finished with six kills at Cleveland State.
Taylor Kasal, Green Bay (Jr., S/RS) - Kasal had a double-double (14 kills and 16 digs) in three sets versus Valparaiso. She had 14 kills, nine digs and three blocks in three sets against UIC.
Morganne Longoria, Valparaiso (So., L) - Longoria had 35 digs in eight sets last week. She led all players with 20 digs versus Green Bay and had a team-best 15 at Milwaukee.
Maggie Strus, UIC (Jr., DS) - Strus had 24 digs last week for the Flames. She’s had 10 consecutive double-digit dig performances. She went over the 1,500 career dig mark against Green Bay and needs 30 more digs to become UIC’s all-time leader.
Jessie Thornton, Wright State (Fr., L) - Thornton had 29 digs in six sets of play. She had 15 digs at Youngstown State and 14 digs versus Cleveland State.
Shannon Watson, Youngstown State (Sr., MB) - Watson averaged a team-best 1.17 blocks, while adding 2.33 kills per set. She had nine kills and four blocks versus Oakland.
Stephenee Yancy, UIC (Jr., MB) - Yancy tied for match-high honors with 16 kills against Milwaukee. She also had five blocks against the Flames. She added nine blocks in the sweep of Green Bay. She has accumulated double-digit kills in all 17 matches this season for UIC.
Horizon League Offensive Players of the Week:
Aug. 25 - Julie Kolinske, Milwaukee
Sept. 1 - Nicole Johnson, UIC
Sept. 8 - Emily Campbell, Valparaiso
Sept. 15 - Stephenee Yancy, UIC
Sept. 22 - Myanna Ruiz, Milwaukee
Horizon League Defensive Players of the Week:
Aug. 25 - Nikki Thompson, Youngstown State
Sept. 1 - Shannon Watson, Youngstown State
Sept. 8 - Nikki Holmes, Cleveland State
Sept. 15 - Allison Ketcham, Valparaiso
Sept. 22 - Taylor Golabowski, Milwaukee
