Defense Highlights Final #BIGEASTvb Player And Freshman Of The Week
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Tessa Fournier, Seton Hall, Sr., L (Redondo Beach, Calif.)
Senior libero Tessa Fournier helped Seton Hall clinch the fourth and final spot in the playoff bracket as he helped the Pirates to straight set victory at home against local rival St. John’s. Fournier recorded a match high 22 digs in only three sets to average 7.33 digs per set. She also had three assist and a service ace in the win. Fournier’s defense helped Seton Hall hold St. John’s to a .090 attack percentage. With a 10-8 final 2016 league record, it was just the second time in program history that Seton Hall reached double figures in BIG EAST victories.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Regan Lough, Villanova, Fr., L (Riverside, Calif.)
Villanova freshman Regan Lough makes her third appearance as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after combining for 60 digs in two matches for the Wildcats in the final week of play. Lough averaged 6.67 digs per set on the 1-1 road weekend which included a four-set win over Providence and a five-set loss to No. 21 Creighton. In the win over Providence, she registered 28 digs in four sets, holding the Friar offense to hit only .171. In the five set loss at Creighton, she tallied 32 digs and helped hold Creighton to hit .241, its second-lowest hitting percentage in the conference season.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Anna Logan, Butler, So. OH (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Logan averaged 5.50 points, 4.71 kills and 3.29 digs per set with a double-double in a four-set loss to Marquette. The senior had 18 kills and 14 digs against the Golden Eagles, while adding two aces and three blocks to her stat line. In a sweep of the Blue Demons, hit .538, committing just one error on 26 swings.
Jaali Winters, Creighton, So., OH (Ankeny, Iowa)
Winters helped Creighton complete the first 18-0 league season in BIG EAST history. The sophomore had 4.81 points per set for the Bluejays with 4.25 kills and 4.38 digs per set. Winters had a double-double with 22 kills and 16 digs in the five-set finale against Villanova.
Symone Speech, Georgetown, So., MB (Oak Park, Ill.)
In a 1-1 week for the Hoyas, Speech averaged 3.58 points per set with 3.33 kills on .404 hitting. She had three assisted blocks for the week and committed just one attack error.
Taylor Louis, Marquette, R-So., OH (Skokie, Ill.)
Louis averaged 5.94 points per set with 5.88 kills and 2.38 digs per set in a 1-1 week for Marquette. Louis had a double-double in a four-set win against Butler with 25 kills and 12 digs. She was three digs shy of a double-double at Xavier with 22 kills, seven digs.
Abbey Bessler, Xavier, Sr. OH (Hebron, Ky.)
Led Xavier to a 2-0 weekend with four-set wins over DePaul and Marquette, as the Musketeers have won 11 of their last 13 matches. Bessler averaged 4.00 kills and 1.88 digs per set and hit .301 over the two matches. Bessler totaled 32 kills, 15 digs and four blocks with a service ace.