Week 9 SWAC Volleyball Players of the Week

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The Southwestern Athletic Conference has recognized UAPB’s Kendalle Howard and Haley Gomez, Alabama State’s Kori Kutsch, Jackson State’s Markayisha Masani and Texas Southern’s Nia Stone as volleyball players of the week for contests played from Oct. 16-21.

SWAC Offensive Player of the Week – Howard put down 74 total kills and 55 digs in five matches at the SWAC East Volleyball Roundup, highlighted by a season-high 21 kills and 22 digs versus Mississippi Valley State. She added eight aces and five blocks The 5-8 junior from Round Rock, Texas cleared double-digit kills on four occasions during the five-match stretch, coming up one kill shy versus Jackson State. Howard is averaging 14+ kills a night over her past seven matches.

SWAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week – Masani was a stalwart on the Jackson State back end, collecting 80 total digs in five matches for the Lady Tigers. She posted at least 10 digs in each match, highlighted by a 23-dig effort versus Grambling State. Additionally, Masani added seven service aces, three assists and a pair of kills.

SWAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week – Stone flashed as a dominating presence at the net, turning in 23 total blocks during a five-match stretch at the SWAC East Volleyball Roundup. The 5-9 junior had three matches with at least six blocks, peaking with an eight-block effort versus Jackson State. Additionally, the San Antonio, Texas native was a factor offensively, putting away 35 kills at a .228 attack percentage.

SWAC Setter of the Week – Kutsch was lights-out against the competition, putting up 231 assists for an average of 10.50 assists per set. The senior had 40-plus helpers in three matches (41 vs. Southern, 45 vs. UAPB, 48 vs. Texas Southern) and narrowly missed adding to her 40-assists total with 38 against Southern Miss and Grambling State, respectively. She finished with three double-doubles last week, pairing 13 digs with her 41 assists in a 3-0 sweep of Southern. In Saturday’s thriller against UAPB, Kutsch chipped in 14 digs with her 45 assists and she capped off the week with a 48/11 outing in a 3-1 win over Texas Southern. She also added 11 kills and led all Lady Hornets on the week with 10 service aces, notching at least two aces in four-of-six matches. Additionally, Kutsch was stellar defensively, grabbing 49 total digs (2.23 digs per set) and five block assists.

SWAC Newcomer of the Week – Gomez picked up her second Newcomer of the Week award of the season after tallying 59 kills, 51 digs, 12 blocks, five assists and four service aces during UAPB’s five matches at the East Volleyball Roundup. Gomez hit at a .210 clip over the course of the weekend, adding three double-digit kill matches. Gomez put down 15 kills against Jackson State and replicated the effort versus Alabama State as well. Additionally, she recorded a 13-kill, 22-dig double-double versus Mississippi Valley State.

SWAC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS