NEW YORK – St. John’s Karin Palgutova earned BIG EAST Player of the Week and Seton Hall’s Grace Forren earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after standout weekends that helped their teams go undefeated. DePaul also went undefeated in their host tournament.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Karin Palgutova, St. John’s, Sr., OH, Slovakia – With an all-around statistical week as an outside hitter, Palgutova led St. John’s to a 4-0 week with wins over Iona (3-0), Bethune-Cookman (3-0), Fresno State (3-1) and Saint Mary’s (Calif.) (3-2). Palgutova averaged 4.83 kills per set along with 2.17 digs per set while hitting at a .354 clip at the Saint Mary’s Invitational. In the final match, Palgutova recorded her second double-double of the season with a career high 31 kills with a .362 hitting percentage, while also picking up 16 digs and three blocks. Palgutova’s all-around week included 4.80 kills/match, second-highest in the league for the week, 2.53 digs per set, three service aces and six blocks.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Grace Forren, Seton Hall, Fr., OH, La Jolla, Calif. – Freshman Grace Forren had a standout weekend for the Pirates as the outside hitter was named to the Seton Hall Classic All-Tournament Team after recording double-doubles in two of three matches this weekend. Against Notre Dame on Friday, Forren recorded 10 kills and 10 digs for her first career double-double. On Saturday, she tallied a career-high 15 kills to go with 10 digs and three blocks vs. Hofstra for her second straight double-double. Later that day, she finished just two kills shy of her third straight double-double, finishing with eight kills and 12 digs. Forren was ninth in the BIG EAST in kills (3.00) last week and 14th in digs (2.91/match).
BIG EAST Volleyball Weekly Honor Roll
Lauren Smith, Creighton, Jr., MB, Lincoln, Neb. – In a 1-2 weekend, against top 10 competition, Smith was named to the UNI Tournament Team after averaging 2.40 kills, 0.60 blocks, and 0.60 digs while hitting .347 in three matches against No. 8 USC, Northern Iowa and No. 10 Kentucky. Smith closed out her weekend with seven kills, three blocks and two digs on .500 hitting as Creighton swept the 10-ranked Wildcats.
Caitlyn Coffey, DePaul, So., MB, Wauwatosa, Wis. – The DePaul Invitational MVP led the league this week in attacking percentage (.586) registering 47 kills and 12 total bocks. Coffey was instrumental in DePaul’s 3-0 weekend, starting all three matches and recording a career-best 21 kills and 32 attacks. DePaul dropped just two sets during the weekend.
Alyssa Sinnette, Georgetown, Fr., OH, Pearland, Texas. – Named to the Rose Hill Classic All-Tournament Team as she averaged 4.25 kills/set, 2.5 digs/set and recorded three services aces and two blocks. Sinnette had Georgetown’s first 20-kill, 20-dig effort since 2012. Recorded a match-high in kills with 20 against Robert Morris and 17 against Niagara.
Taylor Louis, Marquette, RS-Fr., OH, Skokie, Ill. – Named the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational MVP after a 2-1 weekend as she led the league this week in kills (6.07/match) with a career-best 30 in a 3-1 win against Missouri State and recorded double-doubles against Oral Roberts and Miami.
Kayla Fitzgerald, Providence, Jr., OH, Redlands, Calif. – Named to the New Orleans Invitational All-Tournament team, Fitzgerald recorded 55 kills with 26 digs in a 2-2 week for the Friars. In Providence’s win over New Orleans, she recorded 14 kills on 22 total attacks (.591). Her performance helped Providence to their first back-to-back wins in straight sets since 2007.