Natalia Skiba of Northeastern became the first Husky to record 2,000 career digs.
Week 4 Volleyball Honors -- Sept. 22
Tim McDonnell
CAA Volleyball Weekly Report -- Sept. 22
RICHMOND, Va (September 22, 2014) - A handful of student-athletes were honored on Monday and recognized for their efforts as CAA volleyball weekly award winners. Leading the way were offensive Players of the Week Kelsie Wills of Hofstra and Haley Pa'akaula of Towson, while Defensive Player of the Week honors went to both MacKenzie Kleespies of James Madison and Natalia Skiba of Northeastern. The Rookie award went to Northeastern freshman Brigitte Burcescu for the third consecutive week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Kelsie Wills • Hofstra
Senior | Outside Hitter | Matamata, New Zealand/Matamata College
-Continued her strong start to 2014, earning MVP honors at the UConn Tournament as Hofstra went a perfect 3-0 to win the title.
-Totaled 47 kills (4.70 P/S) while hitting .308 and recorded four service aces.
-In title match win over the host Huskies, notched 26 kills for an impressive 6.50 per set average and is now just 21 kills away from the all-time HU record.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Haley Pa’akaula • Towson
Junior | Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter | Honolulu, Hawaii/ Kamehameha-Kapalama
-Helped TU move to 13-1 on the year after setting tone offensively over a 4-0 week.
-Finished with 47 kills -- 3.62 P/S -- seven assists and six service aces en route to earning MVP honors at the Tiger Invitational.
-Registered third double-double of the season with career-high 19 kills and 14 digs in tournament opening win over Kent State.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
MacKenzie Kleespies • James Madison
Junior | Defensive Specialist | Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove
-Led the Dukes, who went 3-0 over the week with wins over Princeton, Akron and Rutgers, with 74 digs and averaged 5.69 digs per set.
-Added 11 assists overall and was named to the all-tournament team at the Rutgers Invitational.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Natalia Skiba • Northeastern
Senior | Libero | Westmont, Ill./Hinsdale Central
-The Huskies’ all-time leader in career digs (2,017) also became the first NU player to record 2,000 digs after recording 65 (5.42 P/S) last week.
-NU beat UNH and ACC foe Boston College, while her 26-dig effort in a defeat versus Harvard helped her surpass the 2,000-dig mark.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Brigitte Burcescu • Northeastern
Freshman | Outside Hitter | Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas
-Won the league’s rookie nod for the third straight week, collecting 47 kills (3.92 P/S) 19 digs and 10 blocks.
-Hit .410 and added 19 kills in win at New Hampshire.
-Leads team in kills (186) and kills per set (3.92) this season.
Tweet of the Week: @Towson_VB - “Tiger volleyball to 13-1 with a 3-1 win over St John’s!! More to come on TowsonTigers.com.”