MU’s Barber Repeats As #BIGEASTvb Offensive Player of the Week, BU’s Ravenell Named Freshman; VU’s Fitzgerald Defensive
NEW YORK -- The third week of BIG EAST volleyball play had three teams go undefeated in league play: Butler, Marquette and Villanova. These three teams each had a player earn weekly awards as Marquette’s Allie Barber repeats for the second straight week and fourth time overall as Offensive Player of the Week, Villanova senior Allison Fitzgerald is named Defensive Player of the Week and Butler’s Natalie Ravenell is named Freshman of the Week. Ravenell’s honor is her second of the season.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Allie Barber, Marquette, So., OH (Cedarburg, Wis. )
For the fourth time this season, Marquette sophomore outside hitter Allie Barber earns BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week. Barber averaged 6.08 points per set and 6.00 kills per set while hitting .477 percent in another 2-0 week for the Golden Eagles in league play. Barber helped lead the way to Marquette’s 3-0 sweep over then-No. 12 Creighton on Thursday as she tallied 21 kills and just one error in 37 swings. Barber currently leads the league in kills per set (4.87) and points (5.18). The Golden Eagles have not lost a match in league play yet. Her 21 kills against Creighton were a match high in league play last week. The 21 kill performance was also a match high among conference players in a three-set match this year.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Allison Fitzgerald, Villanova, Sr., DS/Libero (St. Louis, Mo.)
Villanova’s Alison Fitzgerald filled in at defensive specialist/libero for Regan Lough last week as the Wildcats went 2-0. Villanova led the league last week in hitting percentage allowed (.129) and ranked third in service aces allowed (0.83) and kills allowed (11.00) as Fitzgerald averaged 3.17 digs per set. Fitzgerald had 10 digs in the 3-0 win at St. John’s as St. John’s had just two aces.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Natalie Ravenell, Butler, Fr. OH (Westfield, Ind.)
Bulldog freshman Natalie Ravenell helped Butler put together another 2-0 week with wins over St. John’s (3-1) and Seton Hall (3-0). Ravenell had an impressive statistical week across the board, ranking in the top 10 for the week among BIG EAST competitors in three categories: ninth - points per set (3.86), ninth - blocks per set (1.14) and 10th - kills per set (3.29). Additionally, Ravenell’s .321 attack percentage ranked 13th among all league competitors this week, while she also added 2.17 digs per set. Ravenell posted a double-double in the four-set win over St. John’s with 13 kills, 10 digs and seven blocks, while hitting .353 and committing just one attack error. She just missed a double-double in the sweep of Seton Hall with 10 kills, eight digs.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Makayla Ferguson, Butler, Sr., S (Martinsville, Ind.)
Ferguson averaged 13.0 assists per set last weekend to help Butler pick up two victories. She had a double-double against St. John’s with 49 assist, 13 digs while adding three kills and one block to her stat line. Her 42 assist against Seton Hall in a 3-0 sweep was a new season-high in a three set match.
Addison Root, Providence, So., OH (Wichita, Kansas)
Root was third this week in points with an average of 4.75 per set, while averaging 4.50 kills per set, which ranked second behind Marquette’s Barber. Root hit .286 while also averaging 1.50 digs per set.
Amanda Sanabia, St. John’s, So., Libero (Annapolis, Md.)
Sanabia averaged 4.58 digs per set in a 1-2 week for St. John’s. She had 11 digs in the three-set loss to Villanova, 19 at Butler and 25 in the five-set win at Xavier. St. John’s ranked second last week in service aces allowed (0.75).
Maggie Cvelbar, Seton Hall, So., Setter (Euclid, Ohio)
Cvelbar posted two double-doubles this week as Seton Hall went 2-1 with wins over Georgetown and Xavier. Cvelbar averaged 2.40 digs per set and 5.70 assists per set. At Xavier, Cvelbar posted 21 assists, 11 digs. In the loss to Butler, she had 15 assists, 11 digs.
Amanda Pedersen-Henry, Villanova, Jr., MB (Murrieta, Calif.)
Pedersen-Henry average 4.92 points per set in a 2-0 week for Villanova with 3.83 kills per set while hitting .439. Perdersen-Henry also averaged 1.50 blocks per set. She hit .600 against Georgetown on Saturday on 20 swings with 14 kills.