SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State was honored with a pair of Missouri Valley Conference volleyball awards Monday as Kelley Michnowicz was named the league’s Player of the Week and Carly Thomas won Freshman of the Week honors. It is the second such award for each player this season.

    A right side hitter from Belleville, Ill., Michnowicz hit .463 in two matches with averages of 3.67 kills, 4.08 points, 1.83 digs, 0.83 blocks and 0.50 assists per set in the Bears’ sweeps at SIU and Evansville. Friday at Southern Illinois, Michnowicz hit .500 with 10 kills and a season-high eight digs, surpassing her previous dig high for the year with six in the first set. She also had a block and two assists against the Salukis.

    Against Evansville, the junior had 12 more kills on .435 hitting, adding four blocks, three digs and an assist. She single-handedly brought the Bears back in the second set, hitting kills for four straight Missouri State points that forced ties at 18, 19 and 20, swinging the momentum towards MSU as the team went on to win in three sets.

    Thomas directed the Bears to a .314 team hitting percentage in a pair of 3-0 wins. The setter averaged 12.67 assists along with 1.67 kills on .714 hitting, 1.67 digs and 1.17 blocks per set. Adding her kills, assists and blocks, Thomas directly accounted for 14.92 MSU points per set in the two matches.
   
    Friday, the Swansea, Ill., native was a perfect 6-for-6 in kill attempts, hitting 1.000 while dishing out 32 assists, scooping three digs and blocking four Southern Illinois attacks. Saturday at Evansville, Thomas handed out 44 assists, a career-high for a three-set match, was error-free again on the attack with four kills on eight swings, and had seven digs and three blocks.

    Missouri State (20-7, 11-5 MVC) hosts Bradley at 7 p.m. Friday and 12th-ranked UNI and 7 p.m. Saturday to close the regular season.