DENVER ? New Mexico State middle hitter Amber Simpson has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for Nov. 25-30. This is the second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season for Simpson and the fifth of her career.
The senior from Quincy, Ill., led the Aggies to a pair of wins last week to secure their third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. In a sweep of Virginia Commonwealth on Thanksgiving Day, Simpson put down 16 kills on 24 attempts with only three errors for a .542 hitting percentage. In a five-set thriller at in-state rival New Mexico, she finished with 14 kills and seven blocks. For the week, Simpson averaged 3.75 kills on .368 hitting, 1.00 blocks and 4.75 points per set.
Other nominees included: Hawai?i’s Nickie Thomas hit .323 with 1.88 kills and 1.75 blocks in a pair of wins ... Kylie Harrington of Nevada was named to the all-tournament team of the Banker’s Classic after averaging 3.17 kills per set.