INDIANAPOLIS -- Valparaiso sophomore Emily Campbell has been named Horizon League Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, while Cleveland State junior Nikki Holmes has earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period of Sept. 8-14.
Campbell was named MVP of the Skyhawk Invitational after leading the Crusaders to three consecutive sweeps. She led all players in kills in all three matches, finishing with 40 in the three wins. She registered a League-best 4.44 kills per set over the weekend and had an attack percentage of .323. She also paced the Crusaders with 4.33 digs per set as she registered a double-double in all three of the wins.
Through three weeks of play the sophomore from Grand Rapids, Mich., leads the Horizon League with an average of 4.24 kills per set and ranks fourth in the League with a .306 hitting percentage.
Valparaiso (9-1) has won eight consecutive matches and two straight tournament titles. They look to win their third consecutive tournament championship this season when they host the Valparaiso Crossroads of America Classic this weekend.
Holmes captured Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording 56 digs for the Vikings in their three wins this weekend. She opened the tournament with 23 digs in CSU’s sweep of Navy. It marked her third 20+-dig match of the season. For the weekend, she averaged 5.6 digs per set as Cleveland State won nine of the 10 sets they played.
The Madison, Ohio native leads the Horizon League in digs per set with an average of 5.45.
Cleveland State (6-4) returns to action this weekend when it travels to Lawrence, Kan., to play in the Jayhawk Classic.
Other Top Performers for the Week:
Marisa Aiello, Wright State (Jr., MB) - Aiello hit .343 with 27 kills last week in four matches for the Raiders. She hit .444 with nine kills and had seven block assists in the match versus Chattanooga.
Jessica Dood, Oakland (So., RS/S) - Dood was named MVP of the Black Knights Invitational. She averaged 2.42 kills per set. She had 13 kills and four blocks, while hitting .393, in the tournament-deciding win over Army.
Taylor Humm, Oakland (Sr., OH) - Humm led the Golden Grizzlies with 58 digs, six service aces and four assists on the weekend. She averaged 4.83 digs per set and served for seven consecutive points during Oakland’s fourth-set rally against Army.
Val Jeffery, Youngstown State (So., S) - Jeffery was named to the All-Tournament team at the Northwestern Wildcat Classic. She averaged 9.88 assists per set and had 18 kills versus just one error on the attack.
Taylor Kasal, Green Bay (Jr., S/RS) - Kasal was named to the Marquette All-Tournament team after tallying 34 kills and 30 digs in three matches for the Phoenix.
Morganne Longoria, Valparaiso (So., L) - Longoria was named to the All-Tournament team of the Skyhawk Invitational. She registered a match-high 17 digs in the tournament-clinching win over UT-Martin.
Kayla Price, Milwaukee (Jr., S) - Price was named to the Minnesota Diet Coke Classic All-Tournament team after recording 102 assists in three matches over the weekend. She added five aces, four blocks and 13 digs.
Maggie Strus, UIC (Jr., DS) - Strus had 83 digs last week for the Flames. She had a season-high 23 digs in the win over Eastern Kentucky on Friday. She now stands in second-place on UIC’s career list with 1,422 digs.
Jessie Thornton, Wright State (Fr., L) - Thornton had 93 digs in four matches last week. She had 33 digs in five sets at Chattanooga and 25 in four sets at Eastern Kentucky.
Christina Toth, Cleveland State (Jr., RS/OH) - Toth was named CSU Invitational MVP after recording 37 kills and 13 blocks. She had a career-high 18 kills in the Vikings win over Dayton.
Shannon Watson, Youngstown State (Sr., MB) - Watson had 37 kills and 25 blocks last week in four matches for the Penguins. She set a career-high with 12 blocks, including nine in the second-set, in the win at St. Francis (Pa.).
Stephenee Yancy, UIC (Jr., MB) - Yancy was an All-Tournament selection of the UIC Invitational after scoring 67 kills with a .359 attack percentage and added 13 total blocks. She had 19 kills in the wins over Indiana and Eastern Kentucky.
Horizon League Offensive Players of the Week:
Aug. 25 - Julie Kolinske, Milwaukee
Sept. 1 - Nicole Johnson, UIC
Sept. 8 - Emily Campbell, Valparaiso
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
