BIG EAST Offensive & Defensive Player of the Week
Ayden Ames, Jr., MB, Creighton
Ames hit .305 and averaged 1.92 kills, 1.17 blocks and 0.25 digs pet set to help Creighton to a 2-1 record highlighted by a pair of Top-25 wins over No. 9 Purdue (3-2) and No. 20 USC (3-1). In Friday’s five-set thriller against the Boilermakers, Ames notched seven kills while setting a Creighton record for most blocks in a debut with seven. The Preseason All-BIG EAST pick then led the Bluejays with eight kills, three blocks and .333 hitting in Saturday’s contest versus No. 14 Minnesota before closing her weekend with eight kills, four blocks and .400 hitting in a 3-1 triumph over No. 20 USC.
BIG EAST Setter of the Week
Luanna Markus, Fr., S, Marquette
Markus averaged 17.5 points, 8.17 assists, 2.08 digs, and 0.92 blocks per set while hitting .588 in Marquette’s opening week. The freshman posted a double-double in her collegiate debut, dishing out 35 assists and logging 11 digs as the Golden Eagles took No. 2 Texas to five sets. In Saturday’s sweep of Wright State, Markus notched 35 assists while guiding Marquette to a .396 team hitting percentage.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Carola Tesoro, Fr., OH, St. John’s
Tesoro excelled in her collegiate debut, leading the league with 5.08 kills per set as the Red Storm picked up a pair of wins to start the season. The rookie registered 17 kills and eight digs during a 3-1 victory over Elon followed by a double-double with 26 kills and 12 digs on .310 hitting against Old Dominion. She concluded the weekend with 23 kills on a match-high .409 hitting, adding 13 digs as St. John’s bested USC Upstate, 3-1.
Honor Roll
Rayna Christianson, Fr., S, Creighton
Christianson averaged 3.60 assists, 0.90 digs, 0.20 blocks, and a team-leading 0.50 aces per set to help Creighton knock off a pair of Top 20 teams during a 2-1 opening weekend. In her collegiate debut, she notched nine assists, a dig and an ace as the Bluejays defeated No. 9 Purdue in five sets. She wrapped the weekend with 19 assists, six digs and four service aces in a win vs. No. 20 USC.
Leonor Polezzi, Sr., S, DePaul
Polezzi directed DePaul to a 3-0 opening weekend, and 9-1 set record, at the Drake Invitational, averaging a BIG EAST-best 9.30 assists per set. She delivered back-to-back 30-plus assist performances against Milwaukee (30) and Drake (38).
Campbell McKinnon, Jr., MB, Villanova
McKinnon averaged 1.62 blocks and 2.92 kills per set while hitting .492 to help the Wildcats to a 2-1 mark at the Asics Classic. The junior contributed a match-high 11 blocks with seven kills in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Sacramento State.
Charlotte Moriarty, Jr., OH, Xavier
Moriarty averaged 3.91 kills per set to open the 2026 campaign. She delivered a career-high performance, notching a match-best 17 kills while hitting .325 against No. 4 Pitt. She then logged a career-best 22 digs as the Musketeers defeated Notre Dame, 3-1, for their first win of the season.
Kelsey Niesen, Jr., L/DS, Xavier
Niesen led the league with 4.91 digs per set to kick off the season, including a match-best 10 digs in the Musketeer’s season-opener versus No. 4 Pitt at the AVCA First Serve. Additionally, she averaged 0.92 assists and 0.27 aces per set.