MIAC Volleyball Athletes-of-the-Week

http://www.miac-online.org/news/2011/10/24/WVBALL_1024114110.aspx

MIAC Volleyball Hitter-of-the-Week

Jenna Green, Concordia
Dilworth, Minn. / Dilworth

The No. 9-ranked Concordia volleyball team continued its successful season last week, sweeping all four of its matches by 3-0 scores, including a pair of crucial conference victories that helped the Cobbers clinch a spot in the 2011 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs and keep pace with the other teams in the hunt for the conference championship. As she has all season, senior Jenna Green (Dilworth, Minn.) led the way last week for Concordia, racking up 53 kills and 66 digs with a .250 hitting percentage in the four wins. For her performance, Green has been named the MIAC Volleyball Hitter-of-the-Week for the second time this season and the fourth time in her career.

Green's big week got under way with outstanding performances in a triangular with UM-Morris and Mayville State. She recorded 14 kills, 19 digs, three assists, two aces and two blocks with a .357 hitting percentage against Morris, then added 16 kills, 15 digs and a .382 hitting percentage in a 3-0 win over MSU. Green helped the Cobbers lock up their playoff spot Friday with 12 kills and 11 digs in a 3-0 win over Gustavus, and a day later she racked up 21 digs and 11 kills in a 3-0 MIAC win over Carleton that helped the Cobbers remain tied atop the conference standings. This season the versatile Green has 345 digs and 322 kills, averaging more than 4.0 per set of each stat. She ranks in the top six in the MIAC in both, and earlier this season Green surpassed the 1,000-kill milestone.

The Cobbers and Green face a huge final week of the season, both in terms of their playoff seed and their regular-season conference championship hopes. Concordia is now 21-1 overall and 8-1 in the MIAC. The Cobbers play two other teams that have already punched their tickets to the MIAC playoffs this week with a home match against Augsburg (14-9, 6-3) Wednesday at 7 p.m., and Saturday the Cobbers to travel to Saint Benedict (17-9, 8-1) where the conference title a top seed could be on the line.

MIAC Volleyball Setter/Libero-of-the-Week

Chelsea Rachel, Saint Benedict
Maple Lake, Minn. / Maple Lake

The Saint Benedict volleyball team scored a pair of big wins in MIAC play last week. In the process, the Blazers became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2011 MIAC Volleyball Playoffs, and they kept pace with the other league leaders in pursuit of the regular-season league title. CSB's outstanding play on defense was a huge key to its success last week, and a lot of the credit goes to libero Chelsea Rachel (Maple Lake, Minn.). The sophomore accumulated 36 digs in wins over Carleton and Gustavus, and she only had one reception error in 28 chances to help the Blazers continue their remarkable run in conference play. For her performance, Rachel was named the MIAC Volleyball Setter/Libero-of-the-Week.

The Blazers' big week began Wednesday with a 3-0 win over Carleton. Rachel contributed to the straight-sets victory with nine digs and just one reception error in 12 attempts. In Saturday's thrilling 3-2 win over Gustavus - another playoff hopeful - Rachel had a huge impact with 27 digs and she didn't commit a single reception error in 16 chances. She also added two assists and a service ace in the win over the Gusties. This season, Rachel has been one of the MIAC's top defenders with 512 total digs and an average of 5.28 digs per set. She ranks second in the conference in both categories.

Saint Benedict - tied for first in the MIAC with an 8-1 conference record and a 17-9 overall mark - will face a huge final week of the season with a lot on the line. Wednesday, the Blazers travel to Arden Hills to face another MIAC Playoff team, Bethel (20-7, 7-2), at 7 p.m. They'll wrap up the regular season Saturday against another team tied for first as ninth-ranked Concordia (21-3, 8-1) comes to St. Joseph for a 3 p.m. start time with the conference championship and the No. 1 playoff seed potentially up for grabs.

Courtesy of MIAC