INDIANAPOLIS -- UIC junior Stephenee Yancy has been named Horizon League Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, while Green Bay junior Jillian Bauer and Oakland senior Taylor Humm have earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period of Oct. 13-19.
Yancy led the Flames to their first win at Valparaiso since the 2008 season as UIC knocked off Valparaiso, 3-1, on Friday night. With the match tied at one, Yancy took over as she recorded 15 of her match-high 25 kills in the next two sets. She had seven kills on 12 attempts in the third set and was lethal in the fourth set as she put down eight kills on nine attempts as the Flames captured the final two sets to win. For the match, Yancy hit .422 (25-6-45). The junior’s 25 kills are tied for the most in a Horizon League match this season.
In her first year with the Flames, Yancy is pacing the League in hitting percentage (.358), kills (363) and kills per set (4.27).
UIC (10-12, 4-3) has won three consecutive matches and returns to the court this weekend as it hosts Green Bay on Friday and Milwaukee on Saturday.
Bauer earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors after tallying 28 digs in each of Green Bay’s matches last week. She had 28 in GB’s four-set win over Oakland on Friday night and then followed up with 28 digs in five sets in Green Bay’s match versus Wright State. For the year, Bauer ranks second in the League with an average of 4.81 digs per set.
Green Bay will look to build of the momentum from this weekend as they hit the road this week to play at Valparaiso on Friday and UIC on Saturday.
Humm shared honors with Bauer after averaging 5.75 digs per set last week. She had 24 digs versus the Phoenix on Friday night and turned around on Saturday to finish with 22 as the Golden Grizzlies knocked off defending champion and preseason favorite, Milwaukee, 3-1. The win snapped Milwaukee’s 11-match win streak and meant the second half of the season would start with a three-way tie for first between Oakland, Milwaukee and Youngstown State.
The Golden Grizzlies (13-9, 5-2), who will host both UWM and YSU in the second half of the season after beating both on their home courts in the first half, are back in action on Friday with a match versus Cleveland State before hosting the Penguins on Saturday.
Other Top Performers for the Week:
Ally Beck, Cleveland State (Sr., OH) - Beck led the Vikings with her third double-double of the season, recording 10 kills and 17 digs versus Youngstown State.
Sammy Condon, Oakland (Fr., MH) - Condon helped Oakland end UWM’s 11-match home winning streak as she hit a career-best .450 (14-5-20) in the Golden Grizzlies 3-1 win. Her eight blocks in the match were also a career-high, with three coming in the decisive fourth set.
Taylor Graboski, Valparaiso (Fr., MH) - Graboski matched the season high for blocks by an individual in a league match, registering a career-best ten rejections against UIC.
Julie Kolinske, Milwaukee (Sr., OH) - Kolinske paced the Panthers to a 2-1 week by leading the offense with 3.83 kills per set. She finished the week with 46 kills total, including 25 in the win over Wright State that was just off her career-high of 26. She added eight blocks as well.
Ashley Langjahr, Wright State (Sr., RS) - Langjahr hit .647 (12-1-17) in four sets versus Milwaukee before hitting .240 with eight kills in the Raiders win at Green Bay.
Allie O’Reilly, UIC (Fr., DS) - O’Reilly had a match-high 16 digs and UIC’s lone service ace of the night in the 3-1 win over Valpo.
Emily Riese, Green Bay (Jr., S) - Riese posted two double-doubles last week with 40 assists and 11 digs in the win over Oakland and 44 assists and 15 digs versus Wright State.
Aly Ryan, Youngstown State (Jr., MB) - Ryan set a school record with a .714 hitting percentage in the four-set win over Cleveland State. She had six kills on six attempts in the first set and three kills on three attempts in the fourth set. She added a team-high five blocks in the win.
Jessie Thornton, Wright State (Fr., L) - Thornton had 44 digs in nine sets last week. She had 21 digs at Milwaukee and 23 digs in the win over Green Bay.
Kelsey Victor, Valparaiso (Sr., MH) - Victor hit .353 last week for the Crusaders, registering 11 kills against UIC and 12 kills against North Dakota State.
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
Sept. 29 - Morgan Beil, Valparaiso
Oct. 6 - Val Jeffery, Youngstown State/Stephenee Yancy, UIC
Oct. 13 - Stephenee Yancy, UIC
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
Sept. 29 - Maggie Hannon, Cleveland State
Oct. 6 - Nikki Thompson, Youngstown State
Oct. 13 - Jillian Bauer, Green Bay/Taylor Humm, Oakland
