BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Jaela Zimmerman, Creighton, Sr., OH (Lincoln, Neb.)
Senior outside hitter Jaela Zimmerman picks up her second BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week of the season. The Lincoln, Neb. Native notched her third consecutive Tournament MVP at the Shocker Volleyball Classic hosted by Wichita State. Zimmerman averaged 4.67 kills per set, 3.89 digs per set and had a pair of double-doubles as the Bluejays swept all three of their matches this past weekend. After a nine-kill, six-dig and two-block performance against Wyoming, Zimmerman tallied 16 kills and 16 digs while hitting .400 to defeat South Dakota. The senior followed that up with 17 kills, 13 digs and a career-best four aces in the win over Wichita State.
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week
Abby Bottomley, Creighton, Sr., L (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Senior libero Abby Bottomley picks up BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week. Bottomley averaged a league-best 6.67 digs per set, earning All-Tournament honors and helping Creighton to a perfect 3-0 weekend at the Shocker Volleyball Classic. The senior notched 21 digs in a three set win over Wyoming, adding in six assists and also tying her career-high with five service aces. Bottomley followed that up with a 22-dig performance the next day to defeat South Dakota, and capped the weekend with 17 more digs to defeat Wichita State. The Bluejay libero was the driving force behind a defense that allowed opponents to hit just .085 on the weekend.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Kendra Wait, Creighton, Fr., S (Gardner, Kan.)
Kendra Wait earns BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors for the second straight week and third time overall this season. The Gardner, Kan. native had yet another strong weekend, averaging 10.78 assists per set, 3.44 digs per set, 1.56 kills per set and 1.11 blocks per set to help Creighton sweep the weekend. Wait led off the weekend with six kills, 19 assists, six digs and five blocks against Wyoming, followed by a double-double against South Dakota in which she finished with 34 assists and 17 digs. The freshman capped off the weekend with a 44-assist effort in a win over Wichita State.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Allie Garland, Connecticut, Jr., MB (League City, Texas)
Allie Garland won Tournament MVP honors at the Dog Pound Challenge hosted by UConn. The junior averaged 2.5 kills per set, 1.3 blocks per set and hit .386 as the Huskies went 3-0 on the weekend. Garland was solid in the tournament finale against Yale, tallying 11 kills and eight blocks while hitting .385.
Rachel Krasowski, DePaul, So., L (Orland Park, Ill.)
DePaul’s Rachel Krasowski, one of the top defensive players in the country so far this season, continued her strong sophomore season at the Chicago Cup as the Blue Demons finished 3-0. Krasowski added two more 20+ dig matches to her season total, which now sits at seven. The Orland Park, Ill. native finished with 20 digs in a win over Northwestern, and followed that up with 24 more digs to defeat UIC later that day.
Savannah Rennie, Marquette, Gr., MB (San Diego, Calif.)
Rennie stuffed the stat sheet this past weekend at the Marquette Invitational as the Golden Eagles finished 3-0. The graduate student had a pair of 10-kill matches, and also added 1.44 blocks per set, 1.22 digs per set, a .481 hitting percentage and a pair of service aces on the weekend.
Allison Barber, Providence, Gr. (Woodbury, Minn.)
Allison Barber finished with 84 total assists across two matches this weekend, both resulting in victories for the Friars. After tallying 34 assists against St. Francis Brooklyn, the graduate student notched a triple-double with 11 kills, 50 assists and 17 digs in a win over Fordham. The 50 assists are tied for the third most in a match this season by a BIG EAST player.
Averi Salvador, Villanova, Gr., L/DS (Alea, Hawaii)
Reigning BIG EAST Libero of the Year Averi Salvador played solid defense in helping the Wildcats to a 2-1 weekend at the Temple Tournament. Salvador tallied 21 digs and five assists in the win over Temple, sandwiched between a pair of 18-dig performances against Princeton and Penn. The graduate student also added a trio of service aces in the four-set victory over the Quakers.