DIXIE STATE'S NIHIPALI, UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY'S CARABALLO NAMED WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Dixie State junior outside hitter Whittnee Nihipali and UT Rio Grande Valley senior outside hitter Samaret Caraballo have been named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Volleyball Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Jan. 18-24.
Nihipali, a Las Vegas native, averaged 4.00 kills per set on .500 hitting in the Trailblazers Division I debut, ranking her second in the WAC in both categories. Nihipali posted a double-double as she finished with 12 kills and 13 digs as Dixie State took down in-state rival Southern Utah in straight sets. She also averaged 4.3 points per set in DSU's lone match last week.
Caraballo, a native of the Dominican Republic, ranked third in the WAC and led the Vaqueros in digs per set last week as she averaged 3.75 digs from the outside hitter position. On Friday, she recorded 15 kills and 19 assists for her first career double-double as UTRGV fell to UTSA in five sets. Against, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Caraballo was one kill shy of a second double-double, finishing with nine kills and 11 digs.
Other offensive nominees included: Tarleton's Kayla Brannon averaged 5.29 assists per set last week, including recording 30 assists on the road against Stephen F. Austin… UT Rio Grande Valley's Veronika Jandova averaged 3.38 kills per set on .382 hitting along with 4.1 points per set on the week.
Other defensive nominees included: Dixie State's Lauolive Tonga finished the week averaging 1.33 digs per set and posted a match-high six block assists in the Trailblazers victory over Southern Utah… Tarleton's Amber Strange averaged 2.29 digs per set and recorded her first career double-double as she finished with 15 kills and 11 digs in a three-set win over Louisiana Tech.
WAC STAT LEADERS
After the first weekend of the 2021 season, Dixie State leads the WAC in hitting percentage (.311), assists (14.33), kills (16.00), blocks (2.83), opponent hitting percentage (.145) and service aces (1.67). Meanwhile, UT Rio Grande Valley paces the conference in digs (16.38).
Individually, Tarleton's Amber Strange leads the WAC in kills (4.43) and points per set (5.59), while Dixie State's Kate Hardy is tops in hitting percentage (.533). Fellow Trailblazers Megan Treanor and Mykenna Nelson are tied for the lead in services aces (0.67). Dixie State also has the leader in blocks as Lauolive Tonga averages 2.00 per set. UT Rio Grande Valley's Mackenzie Coates leads the WAC in assists (9.12), while Dixie State's Nelson and Whittnee Nihipali are tied atop the conference in digs (4.33).
DIXIE STATE, TARLETON SHINE IN DI DEBUTS
It was apparent that both Dixie State and Tarleton were ready for the jump as both squads dominated in their Division I debuts. The Trailblazers took down Southern Utah in straight sets, winning 25-18, 25-21, 26-24. Meanwhile, the Texans also won in three sets, taking down Louisiana Tech in just three sets (25-21, 25-23, 25-16) in their season opener.