INDIANAPOLIS -- Valparaiso junior Ellen Vanden Berg has been named Horizon League Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, while Crusader senior Taylor Root and Milwaukee junior Rachel Neuberger shared Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period of Oct. 8-14.
Vanden Berg, from Little Chute, Wis., won her first Offensive Player of the Week award after recording 39 kills for Valparaiso last week. Vanden Berg had previously been named the League’s Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17. The junior middle hitter had 16 kills with no errors in Valparaiso’s sweep of Green Bay on Friday. Her .615 hitting percentage in the contests is the third-best single-match hitting percentage in the League this year. On Saturday, she recorded a career-high 23 kills on a .391 hitting percentage in the Crusaders’ 3-2 win over Milwaukee.
Neuberger, from Muskego, Wis., averaged three blocks per set last week for the Panthers. She had 10 blocks in UWM’s 3-1 win over Wright State on Friday and followed that performance up with an individual and league-best 17 blocks in Milwaukee’s 3-2 loss to Valparaiso. Eight of her 27 blocks on the weekend were of the solo variety as Neuberger became the first Panther since Natalie Schmitting in 2007 to reach double figures in blocks in consecutive matches.
Root, from Jenison, Mich., set a Valparaiso program record with 34 digs in the Crusaders’ three-set win over Green Bay on Friday. In addition to setting the program record, Root’s 34 digs are the most by a Division-I player in a three-set match this season. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year followed up her record-setting performance with 23 digs in Valpo’s 3-2 win at Milwaukee. The win is Valparaiso’s first regular season win at Milwaukee since joining the Horizon League for the 2007 season.
Other Top Performers for the Week:
Kara Koch, Cleveland State (Sr., OH) - Koch had 11 kills in CSU’s 3-0 win at Youngstown State on Friday and now ranks second all-time at CSU with 1,424 kills. She has recorded double-digit kills in all but one match this season.
Leah Poel, Green Bay (Jr., S) - Poel had 85 assists last week, averaging 10.62 per set, as the Phoenix went 2-1 in their homestand.
Janise Dismuke, UIC (Sr., MH) - Dismuke hit .524, recording 21 kills in 21 attempts, in UIC’s 3-1 win at Loyola. She has hit .400+ in five consecutive matches.
Nicole Allgood, UIC (Sr., MH) - Allgood had 14 digs and seven blocks in UIC’s 3-1 win over Loyola.
Carmen Leitermann, Green Bay (Sr., MB) - Leitermann tied Green Bay’s school record with 97 career solo blocks (Marie Kaland, 1992-95) after recording three last week. Kaland’s solo blocks record is the longest-standing career record in the Phoenix record books.
