INDIANAPOLIS – Divisional awards for the East and West were announced for Great Midwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Players of the Week on Monday afternoon.
There was a flurry of activity in the standings to close out the month of September, setting the stage for some exciting playoff volleyball as the standings continue to sort themselves out in the regular season.
The West continues to be run by defending tourney champion Hillsdale as the Chargers appear to be in prime position to host the Great Midwest Championship for the second year in a row.
Hillsdale is winners of nine straight as the Chargers stand at 9-0 in league play. Findlay suffered its second Great Midwest defeat at the hands of Cedarville while Tiffin, which entered the week tied for first, was swept by HC and UF.
The East was just as rugged as Lake Erie, Malone and Walsh, have staked their claim with a first-place at 7-3 in the conference schedule.
Walsh outlasted rival Malone in a five-set standoff, but ran into a tough matchup against Findlay. Malone started the week on a high note by taking down Lake Erie in five sets and the Pioneers were able to win one set against No. 20 Wheeling Jesuit in non-conference action.
Lake Erie fell against Malone but bounced back to win two on the road during the Storm’s West Virginia swing against Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins
East Division Player of the Week
Victoria Henderson
Ursuline
Outside Hitter
Junior
Cleveland, OH (Saint Joseph Academy)
In a tumultuous week around the East Division, Henderson and the Arrows provided stability as the program enjoys a current four-match win streak.
The Arrows were able to beat Central State and then won on the road at Davis & Elkins and Alderson Broaddus.
Henderson put her name up there among the league’s best over the past seven days while ranking first in kills, third in points and also tied for fourth in service aces. She averaged 3.91 kills, 2.73 digs, 4.55 points and 0.64 service aces per set, while
Henderson’s 21 kills vs. D&E in five sets capped a complete comeback for the Arrows as they trailed two sets to none. She produced the second-highest number of kills in a five-set match this year only behind 25 from Lauren Loucks of Walsh.
Henderson hammered home 18 more vs. AB and hit .500. She had a trio of aces in the serving game against Central State and the Battlers.
The junior currently ranks second in the league in kills and third in points per game regardless of division. This is Henderson’s second career weekly honor from the conference.
West Division Player of the Week
Taylor Wiese
Hillsdale
Libero
Junior
Mattawan, MI (Mattawan HS)
Wiese produced two of the best top-10 digging efforts around the league this year as the Chargers appear geared up for another torrid postseason run.
Hillsdale is in the driver’s seat of the West Division and strengthened its hold on the lead by beating Cedarville on the road and Tiffin at home, both straight-set decisions in favor of the Chargers.
Wiese put up double-digit average dig numbers in both contests and averaged 10.17 on the week, very rare territory for any defensive specialist.
She dug out 31 attack attempts from the Yellow Jackets and had 30 more against Tiffin while also recording a pair of service aces.
This is Wiese’s second career conference weekly honor. She was a member of the first team all-conference unit a year ago.
Wiese currently ranks second in the conference in digs per set at 5.94. She is also fourth in service aces per game (0.48).