Streaking Red Storm Duo Earns Two #BIGEASTvb Weekly Honors; Creighton’s Witt Takes Defensive Accolades
NEW YORK – St. John’s senior Julia Cast and freshman Kayley Wood earn the Red Storm’s first BIG EAST weekly volleyball honors after a 2-0 road week. Creighton sophomore libero Brittany Witt earns her fourth weekly accolade.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Julia Cast, St. John’s, Sr., MB RS (Westbury, N.Y.)
Red Storm senior Julia Cast led the league in kills per set last week with 5.50 as she helped lead St. John’s to a 2-0 road weekend. Cast and her Red Storm teammates did not lose a set with straight set sweeps over Villanova and Georgetown. A terrific offensive force all season for St. John’s, Cast posted 6.08 points and added a .266 attack percentage. Cast had game-highs in both matches with 17 kills at Georgetown on Friday and 16 at Villanova on Saturday. The win at Jake Nevin Fieldhouse snapped a nine-match home winning streak for Villanova, only the second loss for the Wildcats at home. Cast also added five total blocks for the week.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Brittany Witt, Creighton, So., Libero (Omaha, Neb.)
Creighton libero Brittany Witt continues to excel in her sophomore season, as she averaged 5.17 digs, 2.50 assists in another 2-0 week for the Bluejays with wins at home over Marquette and DePaul. Witt earns her fourth BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honor this season. The sophomore had 14 digs, five assists, one kill and one ace on Saturday in a 3-0 win over second place Marquette. Witt spearheaded a Bluejay defense that contained BIG EAST kills leader Allie Barber to just 10 kills. On Sunday, Witt procured her second career double-double with 17 digs and 10 assists, while also adding three consecutive aces in the first set as CU rolled to a 15-3 lead. Both Marquette (.099) and DePaul (.093) hit under .100. Creighton led the BIG EAST in hitting percentage allowed (.096), kills allowed (9.83), assists allowed (8.83) and service aces allowed (0.50) last week.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Kayley Wood, St. John’s, Fr. , MB RS (Woodlands, Texas)
Freshman right side hitter/middle blocker Kayley Wood averaged 3.50 points per set and 2.33 kills per set for St. John’s in their 2-0 week, keeping the Red Storm in the hunt to be one of the top four teams in the league standings. Wood hit .214 and added five aces for the week, second-most for the BIG EAST last week. Wood had 10 kills, four digs and three blocks in St. John’s sweep at Villanova. She averaged 0.67 blocks and 0.83 digs per set last week.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Jaali Winters, Creighton, Jr., OH (Ankeny, Iowa)
Winters averaged 4.42 points, 4.17 kills per set while hitting .375 with 3.33 digs per set. Winters helped Creighton to another 2-0 week with a double-double (13K, 11D) against Marquette and a near double-double with 12 kills, nine digs against DePaul.
Symone Speech, Georgetown, Jr., MB (Oak Park, Ill.)
Speech had another outstanding week for the Hoyas, despite GU’s two losses. Speech led the league in points per set with 6.12, while hitting an impressive .521 percent, second-best in the BIG EAST last week. Speech posted 5.25 kills per set with 13 against St. John’s and a career-high 29 kills with nine digs and six blocks.
Allie Barber, Marquette, So., OH (Cedarburg, Wis.)
Barber averaged 4.50 points, 4.00 kills per set in a 1-1 week for Marquette with 1.17 digs and three aces. Barber had 10 kills, five digs in a three-set loss to Creighton and 14 kills, two digs behind .423 hitting at Providence.
Abby Thelen, Seton Hall, Jr., OH (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.)
In a 1-1 week for Seton Hall, Thelen averaged 3.44 points, 3.22 kills per set behind .241 hitting as she had 12 kills in a loss to Villanova with only three attack errors. In Saturday’s five-set victory at Georgetown, Thelen erupted for 17 kills to go with two digs and three blocks.
Allison Fitzgerald, Villanova, Sr., DS/L (St. Louis, Mo.)
Fitzgerald led the BIG EAST in digs per set with 6.29 as she tallied 18 in a win over Seton Hall and 26 in the loss to St. John’s. Both stats were match highs.