Monday, November 09, 2009

MACON, Ga. – Junior middle hitter Alex Kelly tallied 33 kills, 28 digs and a .510 hitting percentage to lead the Lady Bisons to their 21st consecutive win. For her performance during the week, Kelly claimed the sixth Player of the Week award of her career and third on the season, the conference office announced on Monday.

The Kansas City, Mo. native set a team season-high for hitting percentage with .581 at USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon. Kelly also had a match-high 20 kills, her third time this season to make 20 or more kills and her first time in a three-set match. The Lady Bisons swept both Austin Peay State, from the Ohio Valley Conference, and USC Upstate, extending their overall win streak to 21 and 18 within Atlantic Sun play. Kelly leads the conference overall in kills and in both hitting percentage and kills in conference play. She also ranks first in A-Sun contests in hitting percentage. Last week, Kelly earned her second Top Performer selection from the Collegiate Volleyball Update for her performance.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers
Libby Hansch – Mercer (Jr. - MB - Ft. Collins, Colo. - Business) – Over the past week, Hansch willed her team to a pair of conference victories against Stetson and FGCU, piling up 21 kills in just seven sets, and recording a scorching .390 hitting percentage in the wins. Against the Eagles, the Littleton, Colo. native pounded out 11 kills and posted eight total blocks to help the Bears claim their fourth-straight conference win. Against the Hatters, Hansch hammered down 10 kills on just 16 attempts, while striking just two errors.

Channing Salava – Belmont (So. - S - Clearwater, Fla. - Communications) – Salava recorded 10 aces over two matches last weekend, at least six more than any other non-Belmont player. The sophomore setter tied a career-high of six aces in Belmont’s fifth-straight win against USC Upstate and recorded her seventh double-double of the season in a non-conference match against Furman, with 35 assists and 11 digs. Salava also added four aces and five kills on a .364 hitting percentage against her sister, a setter for Furman. Salava amassed 18 digs over the weekend, the second-most of any Bruin, and leads the conference in total assists (1,099) and ranks third in assists per set (9.90).

Asjia Stokes – Kennesaw State (Sr. - OH – North Chicago, Ill. – Human Services) – Stokes led the Owls in kills in both matches over the weekend. In KSU's 3-2 loss to FGCU, Stokes had a team-high 16 kills to go along with two total blocks, and in the Owls' 3-0 sweep of Stetson, the senior outside hitter had 12 kills, six digs, and a KSU record-tying five aces. For the week, Stokes averaged 3.50 kills per set.

Emily Werner – Campbell (Jr. - OH – Sarasota, Fla. – Elementary Education) - Werner tallied 16 kills with a career-high 22 digs against Jacksonville and posted a career-high seven blocks against UNF. The Sarasota, Fla. native also tallied a pair of aces as the Camels split on the weekend.

Amanda Youell – ETSU (Sr. - S - Middleburg, Fla. - Radiography) – Youell led the Bucs to a 2-0 weekend, posting 12 kills, 97 assists, three services aces, 23 digs and seven blocks. Against Jacksonville, the senior setter put up a double-double with five kills, 54 assists and 16 digs, in the 3-2 upset over her former team. Youell averaged an impressive 10.78 assists per set on the weekend.