RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced the volleyball players of the week for the fifth week of the 2023 season. East Central’s Emma Strickland and Julia Kabala captured the Offensive and Setter awards while Oklahoma Baptist’s Jill Leslie and Southern Arkansas’ Lauryn Moultrie shared the Defensive honor.
#theGAC VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emma Strickland, OH, East Central, Jr., Mansfield, Texas
Strickland led the Tigers to a four-set win against rival Southeastern Oklahoma State and a sweep of Northwestern Oklahoma State by hitting a league-leading .545 across the two matches. Her 5.71 kills and 6.00 points per set also led the GAC. She tallied 24 kills and hit .647 against the Savage Storm. With 16 kills against the Rangers, she reached 1,000 for her career.
#theGAC VOLLEYBALL CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jill Leslie, MB, Oklahoma Baptist, So., Wichita Falls, Texas
Leslie and the Bison scored wins against rival Southern Nazarene and Southeastern Oklahoma State to improve to 3-1 in GAC play. Against the Crimson Storm, she registered four blocks. Against the Savage Storm, she blocked six shots. She added nine kills on a .900 attack percentage. She averaged 1.43 blocks per set.
#theGAC VOLLEYBALL CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lauryn Moultrie, MH, Southern Arkansas, Jr., Fairburn, Georgia
Moultrie paced the GAC by averaging 2.00 blocks per set. After collecting four against Henderson State, she totaled a career-high eight in a three-set victory against Ouachita Baptist. SAU earned its first sweep of Ouachita since 2010. She ranks third in the conference in blocks per set with an average of 0.95.
#theGAC VOLLEYBALL SETTER OF THE WEEK – Julia Kabala, S, East Central, Jr., Warsaw, Poland
Kabala and the Tigers scored their first two GAC wins of the season as they defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State and Northwestern Oklahoma State. She tallied 91 assists with a league-leading average of 13.0 per set. She registered a double-double - 55 assists and 10 digs - against the Savage Storm, followed by 36 assists in a sweep of the Rangers.
OTHERS NOMINATED
Kayte Delong, OH (Southern Arkansas), Leah Gardner, MB (Ouachita Baptist), Skyler McKinnon, OH (Harding), Lacy Mott, OH (Southwestern Oklahoma State), Erika Asencio Soriano, OH (Northwestern Oklahoma State)
Brae Denton, MB (Henderson State), Brianda Diaz, DS (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Avery Jauz, DS/L (Ouachita Baptist), Jada Permenter, L (Southwestern Oklahoma State), Emma Winiger, DS (Harding)
Courtney Hanson, S (Ouachita Baptist), Madison Hatt, S (Henderson State), Cameron Lobb, S (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Rylee Martin, S (Oklahoma Baptist), Morgan Schuster, S (Southern Arkansas), Olivia Wiedower, S (Harding)