Big 12 Players of the Week – Week 5

Following the first week of conference play, a quintet of Big 12 volleyball student-athletes earn weekly honors.

Sharing the Offensive Player of the Week are Baylor’s Katie Staiger and Texas’ Ebony Nwanebu. Jana Brusek (Baylor) takes home the Defensive Player of the Week, while Micaya White (Texas) and Payton Caffrey (West Virginia) are Co-Freshman of the Week recipients.

Staiger earns her second honor of the season, while this marks the third Freshman of the Week accolade for both White and Caffrey who have split the award with two apiece through the first four weeks of the season. Brusek claims her third career award after collecting defensive and freshman honors in the same week in 2014.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Katie Staiger, Baylor, OH, RJr., Lewisville, Texas/Prestonwood Christian Academy

• Led the league in kills (64) and kills/set (5.82) last week.
• Her 23 kills in Baylor’s sweep over No. 23 Kansas State on Sunday was the most in a three-set match for a Baylor hitter since 2001.
• Extended a streak of 15 matches with 13 or more kills, posting kill totals of 17 (UNT), 24 (SFA), and 23 (No. 23 K-State).
• Notched a double-double in the win over the Wildcats, adding 11 digs to the 23 kills.
• Recorded a career-high three service aces at SFA.

Ebony Nwanebu, Texas, OH, Jr., Fairview, Texas/Lovejoy

• Hit a combined .476 for the week in UT’s two wins.
• Posted a .514 mark against No. 8 Kansas on Saturday. The Jayhawks lead the league in opponent hitting percentage.
• Ranked fifth in the league in kills per set on the week with 4.12 and fourth in points with 4.56.
• Recorded just three errors on 63 total attacks with 13 kills vs West Virginia and 20 vs Kansas.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jana Brusek, Baylor, L, Jr., Chicago, Illinois/St. Ignatius

• Led the Big 12 in digs (65) and digs/set (5.91) last week.
• Became the seventh player in Baylor history to log 22 or more digs in a three-set match, notching 22 in the sweep over No. 23 Kansas State.
• Her 26 digs vs North Texas are a Big 12 single-match high for the season.
• Two of her three dig outputs on the week rank in the top five in the league for the year.

CO-FRESHMEN OF THE WEEK
Micaya White, Texas, OH, Frisco, Texas/Centennial

• Ranked third in the league for the week in kills per set (5.00) and points per set (5.38).
• Hit a combined .302 over two matches last week with 18 kills and 22 kills.
• Added 17 digs and six blocks.

Payton Caffrey, West Virginia, OH, Chuluota, Fla./Winter Springs

• Led the league last week in points per set (6.50) and services aces (0.57) while also checking in second in kills per set with 5.71.
• Posted a team-high 26 kills in Tuesday’s match vs No. 5 Texas, adding nine digs, three assists and a pair of aces, hitting .259 in the match.
• Led the team to its first Big 12 win since 2014 at Texas Tech on Saturday, hitting .323 with 14 kills, two aces, eight digs and a trio of block assists.
• Ended the week hitting .281 with 2.43 digs per set.