INDIANAPOLIS -- Milwaukee senior Kerri Schuh has been named Horizon League Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, while Valparaiso junior Taylor Root has earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period of Oct. 17 - Oct. 23.
Schuh, an outside hitter from Appleton, Wis., hit .412 and averaged 4.33 kills per set last week to help the Panthers remain undefeated in Horizon League play. Schuh started the weekend by hitting .473 and contributing 10 kills as Milwaukee went on the road to defeat Wright State in straight sets. On Saturday, playing against a Butler team that was on a five-match win streak, Schuh had a double-double,16 kills and 15 digs, and hit .375 as Milwaukee swept the Bulldogs.
The defending Player-of-the-Year also was solid on defense, blocking nine shots and also compiling 20 digs as the Panthers limited their two opponents to a .092 hitting clip.
This is the fourth offensive player of the week nod for Schuh. She is the only player this season to be named offensive player of the week more than once.
Schuh and Milwaukee (19-4, 12-0) are at home this weekend and have the opportunity to clinch the regular season championship if they sweep their weekend matches. The Panthers host Youngstown State on Friday and face second place Cleveland State (16-6, 9-2) on Saturday.
Root, a libero from Jenison, Mich., picked up her second Defensive Player of the Week award this season, and seventh of her career, as she set a career-high in digs last week. Root started the weekend with a team-high 11 digs in Valpo’s three-set sweep of Loyola. On Saturday, Root set a career-high with 38 digs as the Crusaders fell in five sets to Green Bay. The 38 digs for Root were the most by a Horizon League player this season and only two less than the most in a single match in Valparaiso history.
Valparaiso (16-9, 7-4) has three matches on the road this week. The Crusaders step out of conference play to face IUPUI on Tuesday and then return to conference play on Friday when they play at Butler and wrap up the week on Saturday with a trip to Wright State.
Other Top Performers for the Week:
Morgan Beil, Valparaiso (Fr., MH) - Beil hit .625 last weekend for the Crusaders. She had 10 kills on 13 attempts for a hitting percentage of .769 on Friday against Loyola. On Saturday, she had a career-high 17 kills against Green Bay.
Brittany Groth, Green Bay (Jr., L) - Groth had 52 digs last week, including 30 in Green Bay’s five-set win over Valparaiso.
Marie Frease, Cleveland State (Jr., MH) - Frease had a career-high 14 kills in Cleveland State’s three-set win over Loyola.
