United Athletic Conference

 

NM State redshirt junior outside hitter Savannah Davison and Grand Canyon sophomore middle blocker Hannah Eskes have been named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Volleyball Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Feb. 17 through Feb. 23.

 

Davison, a Toronto, Ontario native, earned her second straight player of the week award as she led the Aggies to back-to-back road sweeps over California Baptist. On Monday, she posted an impressive 15 kills to average 5.00 kills per set on .444 hitting in NM State's three-set win. For the week, Davison averaged 4.67 kills per set while hitting .396 and tallying 5.0 points per set.

 

Eskes, an Oceanside, Calif. native, helped carry the Lopes to a pair of three-set wins over UT Rio Grande Valley. She dominated at the net, collecting six solo blocks and six block assists to average 2.00 blocks per set. Eskes' week was highlighted by an eight-block outing on Tuesday that included four solo blocks. On the season, Eskes is tied for third in the conference, posting an average of 1.25 blocks per set.

 

Other offensive nominees included: California Baptist's Cali Hoye led the Lancers with 2.33 kills per set and pitched in a service ace against NM State… Chicago State's Yanlis Feliz averaged 3.17 kills per set as the Cougars were on the road at Utah Valley for their first action of the season… Grand Canyon's Klaire Mitchell averaged 12.67 assists as she combined for 76 total assists in just six sets during the Lopes sweep of UTRGV… Seattle U's Ezgi Ozkan finished with 30 assists and five digs in the Redhawks' three-set victory over Dixie State on Monday… Tarleton's Lauren Kersey averaged 4.00 kills per set with a .615 hitting percentage in the Texans' win over Utah Valley on Tuesday… UT Rio Grande Valley's Samaret Caraballo recorded her second double-double on the season as she posted 13 kills and 12 digs against Grand Canyon on Monday… Utah Valley's Kazna Tanuvasa led the Wolverines to a 3-1 record on the week as she recorded double-digit kills in each match, including a 17-kill match against Tarleton on Saturday.

 

Other defensive nominees included: California Baptist's Paige Johnstone averaged 3.33 digs per set on the week, including a 14-dig showing on Tuesday against NM State… NM State's Lindsay Blakey posted nine total blocks as the Aggies swept California Baptist on consecutive nights… Seattle U's Tijana Milojevic collected 21 digs in the Redhawks' three-set win over Dixie State as she has now recorded double-figure digs for 29 consecutive matches… Tarleton's Lorin McNeil recorded a career-high eight blocks to go along with a pair of digs in the Texans' win over Utah Valley on Tuesday… UT Rio Grande Valley's Victoire Nama notched a career-high 11 digs and a season-high three blocks on Tuesday against Grand Canyon… Utah Valley's Seren Jardine recorded 55 total digs to average 3.93 digs per set for the Wolverines last week.

 

Entering week five, unbeaten NM State has controlled the net as they lead the WAC in hitting percentage (.314), kills (15.00) and blocks (2.70). The Aggies also lead the conference in assists (13.85) and opponent hitting percentage (.141). Meanwhile, Utah Valley continues to sit atop the league in service aces (1.88) and Grand Canyon paces the conference in digs (18.92).

 

Individually, Grand Canyon's Yeny Murillo leads the WAC in kills (4.69) and points per set (5.00). Fellow Lopes Klaire Mitchell and K.J. Adams have also been impressive as Mitchell records the most assists per set at 11.42 and Adams leads the conference in digs (5.38). Chicago State's Berenice Almeyda holds the top hitting percentage (.522) while Tarleton has the league's top blocker in Lorin McNeil as she averages 1.38  blocks per set. Lastly, California Baptist's Tesa Oaks posts the most service aces per set at 0.62.

 

NM State Head Coach Mike Jordan earned his 500th career win as the Aggies took down California Baptist in three sets on Feb. 22. The Aggies are currently 8-0 and are riding a 28-match win streak in conference play. Jordan has been at the helm for NM State since 1998 and has led the Aggies to five WAC regular-season titles and seven NCAA tournaments during his tenure. 

 

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.

 

The Spring 2021 WAC Volleyball Tournament will be held April 1-3 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. and will include all six eligible teams.

 

The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship 48-team bracket will be announced Sunday, April 4. The bracket will consist of 32 automatic qualifiers and 16 at-large teams. The final site of the 2020 NCAA Championship will be the CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb. Semifinals will be held April 22 while the championship will be held on April 24.