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CSU BAKERSFIELD'S LOPES NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CSU Bakersfield senior libero Emily Lopes has been named Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 25-Oct. 1. This is her first WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and of her career.
The Bakersfield, Calif., native anchored the Roadrunner defense to a pair of WAC victories last week as CSU Bakersfield accomplished its first 4-0 start since joining the league in 2013. The libero averaged an astounding 7.50 digs to go along with 1.00 assists per set over the two matches. In a three-set sweep over Seattle U, Lopes recorded more than eight digs per set as she finished with 25 digs and added three assists. She went on to post an impressive 35 digs on Saturday against Utah Valley while adding five assists. The performance helped the ‘Runners defeat the Wolverines, breaking a string of three-straight five-set losses to UVU. CSUB was trailing two sets to one and mounted a comeback to win, staving off multiple match points in set five before scoring the final three points to secure the 17-15 victory. Lopes entered the Saturday's match ranked fourth nationally in total digs and seventh in digs per set. The senior raised her numbers to 399 digs and 6.05 per set by the end of the weekend and leads the next closest WAC student-athlete by nearly one dig per set (5.23). With a minimum of 11 matches remaining this season, at her current pace Lopes would finish the season with 642 digs, which would rank fifth all-time in a single season in WAC history.
Other nominees included: Claire Kovensky of Grand Canyon averaged 3.29 kills and 2.29 digs per set last week ... Kansas City's Alicia Harrington averaged 2.83 kills, 2.17 digs and 0.50 service aces per set on the week ... Tatyana Battle of NM State averaged 4.67 kills on .390 hitting, 1.50 digs and 0.50 service aces per set as the Aggies went 2-0 on the week ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Ragni Steen Knudsen averaged 3.67 kills on .365 hitting, 2.17 digs and 0.67 service aces per set in a pair of victories ... Lexi Thompson of Utah Valley averaged 4.56 kills, 2.11 digs and 0.56 blocks per set as the Wolverines went 1-1 on the week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State currently leads the WAC in opponent hitting percentage (.121), assists (12.86) and kills (13.58), while Utah Valley leads the league in hitting percentage (.220) and blocks (2.78). Grand Canyon is tops in service aces (1.49) and CSU Bakersfield leads the league in digs (17.77).
Individually, Chicago State's Lauryn Dela Cruz leads the WAC in kills (4.42) and points (4.72), while teammate Carmen Carvajal is tops in service aces (0.36) and Kansas City's Emma Dyer leads the league in hitting percentage (.329). Utah Valley's Sierra Starley leads the WAC in assists (10.29), while teammate Madison Dennison is tops in blocks (1.60) and CSU Bakersfield's Emily Lopes leads the league in digs (6.05).
In WAC matches only, CSU Bakersfield leads the league in assists (13.60), kills (14.87) and digs (18.67), while NM State is tops in hitting percentage (.251) and opponent hitting percentage (.062). Utah Valley leads the WAC in blocks (3.17) and Seattle U is tops in service aces (1.60).
Individually in WAC matches, Utah Valley's Lexi Thompson leads the league in kills (4.33) and points (4.75), while teammates Sierra Starley and Madison Dennison are tops in assists (11.57) and blocks (2.00), respectively. NM State's Brielle Sterns leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.405), while Seattle U's Anna Palmer is tops in service aces (0.62) and CSU Bakersfield's Emily Lopes leads the league in digs (7.13).
CSU BAKERSFIELD OPENS WAC PLAY 4-0 FOR FIRST TIME EVER
CSU Bakersfield currently sits atop the WAC standings with a perfect 4-0 mark in league play. It is the Roadrunners' best start since joining the conference in 2013.
UTRGV ON SIX-MATCH WIN STREAK
UTRGV is currently on a six-match winning streak for the first time since Sept. 12-26, 2003, when the team won seven in a row. The Vaqueros are also 3-0 in WAC play, their third three-match conference winning streak in NCAA Division I program history, having previously done so in 2016 and 1995. UTRGV has never won four-straight conference matches.
CSUB'S LOPES POSTS SECOND-MOST PROGRAM DIGS IN MATCHES
CSU Bakersfield senior libero Emily Lopes finished with 25 digs in a sweep of Seattle U on Sept. 28. It was the second-most in CSUB history for a three-set match. On Sept. 30, she posted 35 digs in a five-set win over Utah Valley. That was the second-most in a five-set match in Roadrunner history.
NM STATE'S SIERRA MOVING UP DIGS CHART
NM State senior libero Ariadnne Sierra currently ranks sixth all-time in career digs at NM State with 1,152. The WAC's active career digs leader, she only needs 52 digs to move into fifth place and is 129 shy of fourth place.
THREE UTRGV BLOCKERS IN PROGRAM CAREER TOP 10
UT Rio Grande Valley currently has three players that rank in the top 10 in the program career record books for total blocks. Alexandra Ecker ranks eighth with 247, Bojana Mitrovic is ninth with 193 and Barbara Silva is 10th with 187.
CSUB'S HAYNES RANKS SEVENTH IN CAREER BLOCKS
CSU Bakersfield senior middle blocker Sydney Haynes has 224 block assists and 244 total blocks on her career, good for seventh all-time at CSUB in both categories. She is four block assists and 18 total blocks shy of sixth place.