Bears Sweep MVC Weekly Volleyball Awards
October 10, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 10, 2011
St. LOUIS -
Missouri State brought home each of the Missouri Valley Conference's weekly volleyball awards Monday, with Carly Thomas earning Player of the Week honors, Ashley Mason winning Defensive Player of the Week and Olivia Brand being named Freshman of the Week. It is the second such award for each player so far this season.
Thomas filled up the stat sheet to the tune of 1.57 kills, 11.43 assists, 3.29 digs, 0.71 blocks and a .360 hitting percentage in Missouri State's victories over Creighton and Drake. She quarterbacked the Bears to 15.14 kills per set, an average that would lead the nation if maintained for a full season, and either scored or assisted 93.5 points, or 13.36 per set.
Against Creighton, the Swansea, Ill., native neared a triple-double with seven kills (on .357 hitting), 51 assists and 10 digs to go with four blocks. Saturday, the sophomore directed the Bears to a .275 team hitting percentage while recording her 12th double-double of the year with 29 assists and 13 digs in the sweep. She added a block and four kills without an error against the Bulldogs.
Brand led Missouri State with 4.20 kills per set and a .391 hitting percentage while adding 1.20 digs and 0.40 blocks as well. The Springfield Glendale product rallied the Bears to victory over previously unbeaten Creighton Friday, subbing in with MSU trailing 20-16 in the fourth set and slamming six kills in an 8-1 run that made the score 24-21 and helped the Bears secure the four-set win. Brand had eight kills total and hit .361 against CU. Saturday versus Drake, Brand started and produced a match-high 13 kills on .407 hitting in the sweep of the Bulldogs.
Mason averaged an MVC-best 6.71 digs per set in two Missouri State wins and posted 28 digs Friday against Creighton for the highest single-match total of any league player last week. The sophomore was the ringleader of the defense that held the opposition to a .091 hitting percentage in two matches, also the best in the MVC last week.
Mason's 28 digs against Creighton established a career high and helped the Bears out-dig CU, which entered the match leading the MVC in that category, 89-61. Saturday against Drake, the Granby, Mo., native scooped 19 digs in just three sets to help the Bears hold the Bulldogs to .064 hitting.
The Bears return to action Oct. 14 with a 7 p.m. match at Southern Illinois.
