Creighton’s Wilkinson; Marquette’s Barber Named #BIGEASTvb Players of the Week; PC’s Lydon Awarded Freshman Honors
NEW YORK – The first BIG EAST 2017 volleyball players of the week come from Creighton and Marquette, which had impressive wins over ranked opponents on the road. The first BIG EAST Weekly honor roll is made up of MVP’s from five tournaments around the country that league teams participated in.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Allie Barber, Marquette, So., OH (Cedarburg, Wis.)
Golden Eagle outside hitter Allie Barber started her sophomore campaign on a high note as she marked 22 kills with eight digs in a 3-2 match win against then-No. 20 Hawai’i. Barber helped Marquette during a grueling three days in the Aloha State, playing against all ranked opponents. Despite a 1-2 weekend, Barber posted 4.83 kills per set. She followed up her 22 kill performance against Hawai’I with 18 against No. 13 UCLA and 13 against No. 22 San Diego. Barber added 1.33 digs per set and .304 hitting with two aces and 6.0 blocks. After the first weekend of play, Barber is second in the league in kills per set (4.42).
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Marysa Wilkinson, Creighton, Sr., MB (Lincoln, Neb.)
Named MVP of the Washington Husky Invitational, senior Marysa Wilkinson helped lead then-No. 9 Creighton to a 3-0 start to the season with wins over Saint Mary’s, Pitt and then-No. 3 Washington, the highest ranked team Creighton has ever beaten. The middle blocker was a powerhouse for the Bluejays on defense with 15.0 blocks. She also added 29 kills (2.90/set) behind .397 hitting for 3.85 points per set. Wilkinson led Creighton with 13 kills and five blocks with .571 hitting in a sweep over Saint Mary’s. Against Pitt, Wilkinson had six blocks with five kills and a dig. In Creighton’s 3-1 victory over host-school Washington, Wilkinson finished with 11 kills on .429 hitting and a team-best four blocks. It was Washington’s first non-conference home loss in the regular seasons since 2001, and snapped an 81-match regular-season win streak in all non-conference matches. Wilkinson is currently fourth in the league hitting percentage (.397) and second in blocks (1.50).
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
McKenzie Lydon, Providence, Fr., Libero (Stuart, Fla.)
Friar rookie McKenzie Lydon helped Providence off to a 3-0 start at the Boston College Tournament. The libero was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 4.67 digs per set in wins against Alabama-Birmingham, Boston College and Fairfield. In a sweep of the Stags, Lydon had 22 digs. She had just three errors. After the first weekend of play, Lydon leads the league in digs per set.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Makayla Ferguson, Butler, Sr., Setter (Martinsville, Ind.)
Ferguson had an all-around weekend for Butler (3-1) with 10.29 assists, 2.53 digs and 1.59 points per set. Against Oakland, Ferguson had a triple double with 10 kills, 46 assists and 14 digs. She was named the Bulldog Brawl Tournament MVP.
Allison Impellizeri, Providence, Jr., MB (Seaford, N.Y.)
Averaged 3.67 points, 2.75 kills on .403 hitting as the Boston College Tournament MVP for Providence (3-0). Added a total of 11.0 blocks with six against Alabama-Birmingham and five against host Boston College.
Erica Di Maulo, St. John’s, So., Setter (Milan, Italy)
Di Maulo helped the Red Storm to a 3-1 weekend with 10.92 assists and 2.38 digs per set as the Kaiser Classic Tournament MVP. She had two double doubles with 10 digs, 36 assists against Holy Cross and 13 digs, 37 assists against New Hampshire. DiMaulo also contributed eight aces.
Amanda Pederson-Henry, Villanova, Jr., MB (Murieta, Calif.)
Helped Villanova to an undefeated weekend at the University of Virginia tournament. Was named the tournament’s MVP with a stat line that included 3.96 points, 3.42 kills and 1.08 digs against Liberty, Hofstra and Virginia. Her hitting percentage for the weekend was .413.
Kristen Massa, Xavier, Sr. OH (Cincinnati, Ohio)
The Hampton Inn MVP as Xavier marked wins against Duquesne, Illinois-Chicago and Bowling Green. Mass averaged a league-best 5.30 points per set with 4.40 kills and 3.30 digs per set. Recorded her first career double-double at Bowling Green with 11 kills, 18 digs (a career best). Xavier lost just one set all weekend.