Junior Erica Di Maulo helped St. John's win both matches over the weekend
Creighton, St. John’s & Xavier Receive Weekly #BIGEASTvb Awards
NEW YORK – St. John’s Erica Di Maulo and Xavier’s Meredith Klare collect the BIG EAST Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards, respectively. Creighton’s Kari Zumach is the recipient of the Freshman of the Week honor. This is the first Player of the Week accolade this season for all three players.
No. 10 Creighton remains unbeaten in the BIG EAST, securing its 10
th straight victory on Saturday over Butler to lead the league. The Bluejays were tested on Thursday as Xavier battled to five sets. No. 18 Marquette sits just behind in second, winning both matches over the weekend. The Golden Eagles defeated DePaul at home before taking down Northern Iowa, Missouri Valley Conference leader, on the road.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Erica Di Maulo, St. John’s, Jr., S (Milan, Italy)
Di Maulo helped St. John’s secure two victories over the weekend with an average of 10.88 assists per set, which was third-best over the weekend. The Red Storm swept Villanova before winning a five-setter against Georgetown. Di Maulo recorded a double-double with 42 assists and 15 digs against the Wildcats as her 42 kills are the second-most in the league for a three-set match this season. In the meeting versus the Hoyas, she tallied another 45 assists, along with eight digs, four blocks and three kills.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Meredith Klare, Xavier, R-Sr., L (Union, Ky.)
Klare recorded a match-high 29 digs in a five-set loss at No. 10 Creighton. She had 22 more digs in a win at Providence for a total of 51, helping the Musketeers go 1-1 on the weekend. Klare was second-best in the BIG EAST over the past week with an average of 5.67 digs per set. She added seven assists and helped hold Xavier’s opponents to .188 hitting.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Kari Zumach, Creighton, Fr., RS (Buffalo, Minn.)
Zumach led the league in hitting over the weekend at .448 as a freshman, while leading the Bluejays with seven total blocks. She hit .471 in a five-set win against Xavier and added a season-high nine kills, three digs and four blocks. In a sweep of Butler, she hit .417 with six kills, three blocks and a dig. She also helped hold the Bluejays’ opponents to a league-best .096 hitting.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Madelyn Cole, Creighton, Jr., S (Dallas, Texas)
Cole averaged 9.75 assists per set as she helped the Bluejays win a pair of matches over the weekend to stay unbeaten in league play. She collected 50 assists and 12 digs for a double-double in a five-set win versus Xavier. Cole added another 28 assists and a career-high five aces in a sweep over Butler.
Symone Speech, Georgetown, Sr., MB (Oak Park, Ill.)
Speech gathered 15 total blocks over the weekend, averaging 1.88 per set, which was second-best in the BIG EAST. She gathered a match-high seven in a loss at Seton Hall and then added another match-high eight as the Hoyas fell at St. John’s. Speech also averaged 2.25 kills per set.
Hope Werch, Marquette, So., OH (Neenah, Wis.)
Werch held a .389 hitting average in the Golden Eagles’ two wins over the past week. She tied a match-high 10 kills in a sweep of DePaul. Werch tied a match-high 21 digs in a win against Northern Iowa, which is receiving votes in the AVCA poll, along with six kills, four blocks and three aces.
Haylee Gasser, Seton Hall, Jr., MB (Mission Viejo, Calif.)
Gasser averaged .395 hitting, 1.67 blocks per set and 4.08 points per set, which were all third-best in the BIG EAST over the past week to help the Pirates split a pair of matches. In a win versus Georgetown, she tallied 10 kills and a team-high four blocks. She had seven kills and a match-high six blocks in a loss to Villanova.
Emma Decker, Villanova, Jr., S (La Grange, Ill.)
Decker led the conference in assists per set over the weekend, averaging 12.00. She collected 33 assists in a loss at St. John’s, along with five digs. Decker added 39 assists in a sweep at Seton Hall, where she also had three blocks.