Press Release courtesy of MAC.
MAC East Offensive Player of the Week
Polina Prokudina, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Sophomore – Moscow, Russia/Mowgli Secondary/Syracuse
Sophomore Polina Prokudina was named to the All-Tournament team at the Charleston Invite as she led the Bulls to a 2-1 finish. She recorded a pair of double-doubles in the two victories for the Bulls beginning in the four-set win over Mercer where she had 11 kills and 10 digs. Prokudina then led the Bulls to a five-set win over Appalachian State as she recorded 26 kills against the Mountaineers, the third time this season she has had at least 26 kills in a match. She also added 17 digs in that contest. Prokudina completed the weekend with 15 kills in a three-set loss to Charleston, averaging 5.00 kills per set against the Cougars.
MAC West Offensive Player of the Week
Annie Beasley, Toledo, Middle-Hitter
Senior – Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence North
Beasley was named Blue/Gold Invitational MVP after leading the Rockets over the weekend with 36 kills. Beasley also led UT with a staggering .444 attack percentage. Beasley earned double-digit kills in all three matches over the weekend and helped the Rockets win the Blue/Gold Invitational with victories over Tennessee Tech and New Mexico. Versus Tennessee Tech, Beasley led the Midnight Blue and Gold with 10 kills while hitting .476. She followed up her performance on day one of the Invitational with another 10 kills to go along with a .474 hitting percentage in the Rockets four-set victory over New Mexico. On Saturday against Youngstown State, Beasley had a season-high 16 kills and was two shy of eclipsing her career-best mark of 18. The senior middle-hitter this season has captured 101 kills while registering a team-high .354 attack percentage. Her 16 kills against Youngstown State was a season-high as she has registered double-digit kills in six of the 12 contests this season.
MAC East Defensive Player of the Week
Kallie Seimet, Bowling Green, Libero
Junior – Oregon, OH/Clay
Junior libero Kallie Seimet set a BGSU Volleyball program record when she tallied 44 digs in the five-set win over Seton Hall in a dramatic 3-2 victory. The Falcons rebounded after being down two sets to claim its 700th win in program history, while it is also a career-high mark for Seimet, shattering her previous high of 36 digs set last weekend in the NKU Invitational. On the weekend, Seimet led the Bowling Green squad and averaged 6.36 digs per set, and tallied double-digit digs in each of the Falcons three matches.
MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
Kathleen Reilly, Western Michigan, Libero
Sophomore – Overland Park, KS/St. James Academy
Kathleen Reilly averaged 5.18 digs per set as she helped the Broncos take second place at the Courtyard by Marriott Tournament hosted by UNC-Wilmington over the weekend. The Broncos went 2-1 and Reilly was named to the All-Tournament team. In a 3-0 win over Morgan State she started off the tournament with 13 digs and went 12-for-13 on serve receipts. Against Liberty she posted another 13 dig performance as WMU extended its win streak to five matches. In the championship game against the Seahawks she set a new career high with 31 digs in the 3-2 loss. She also finished 38-for-40 receiving on the night. Reilly finished the weekend with a receive percentage of .952 to increase her season average to .947. The sophomore libero also improved her digs per set average to 4.67.
Other Nominees:
Madeline Brandewie, Bowling Green, Middle
Junior – Columbus, OH/Bishop Hartley
Junior Madeline Brandewie led the Bowling Green squad offensively in the 3-2 victory over Seton Hall to close out the VCU Invitational. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Brandewie marked 15 kills across the five sets, while hitting .306. The 15 kills were a new season-high for the junior, while on the weekend she posted a strong .233 attack.
Anna Brereton, NIU, Libero
Senior – Sun Prairie, WI/Sun Prairie
NIU senior Anna Brereton recorded 64 digs, an average of 4.57 digs per set, as the Huskies defeated Illinois State in a midweek match and also competed in the Buckeye Invitational. Brereton had double-digit digs in three of the four matches, including 21 in NIU’s win over Illinois State and 22 against nationally-ranked Ohio State. For the season, Brereton is averaging 4.12 digs per set.
Paige Carey, Central Michigan, Middle Blocker
Senior – Rochester Hills, MI/Bloomfield Hills Marian
Central Michigan posted a 1-2 record at the Shamrock Invitational in Notre Dame, Ind. last weekend. Senior Paige Carey led the Chippewas with 27 kills on 49 attempts (.388 percent) over the three matches. On Friday, Carey posted a .455 hitting percentage with two digs in a 3-0 victory over Southern Illinois. The senior garnered nine kills and two blocks (solo) in the loss to No. 23 Michigan State. Later that evening, Carey recorded a team-high 11 kills and six digs in a 3-0 loss to Notre Dame. She averaged 3.00 kills per set and 3.50 points per set over the weekend. The senior was also named to the all-tournament team. Carey is tied for first in total blocks (32) and ranks second on the team in kills (99).
Challen Geraghty, Kent State, Libero
Senior – Louisville, KY/Holy Cross
Libero Challen Geraghty was named to the Golden Grizzlies Classic All-Tournament Team after igniting a Kent State defense that averaged 17.82 digs per set. Geraghty’s best performance of the weekend came against the Golden Flashes’ toughest opponent, as she tallied 28 digs in just three sets against undefeated Towson. She had 18 digs and six assists in a win over Fort Wayne to conclude the weekend. Geraghty led all players with 11 digs to start the weekend against host Oakland. During that match, she passed Ashley Dunn (BG) for 13th on the Mid-American Conference career digs list and now has 2,084.
Maeve McDonald, Miami, Libero
Senior – Grand Rapids, MI/East Grand Rapids
McDonald was strong in a pair of three set matches over the weekend. She recorded 28 digs, an average of 4.67 digs per set at the Stacey Clark Classic. She started it up with 15 digs against 15th-ranked Purdue on Friday. She followed it up with 13 digs against Loyola on Saturday. McDonald has 528 digs in 13 matches this season, an average of 5.06 digs per set.
Andrea Mitrovic, Buffalo, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Mississauga, Ontario/Silverthorn Collegiate Institute
Freshman Andrea Mitrovic had a great weekend on both sides of the ball as she was named to the All-Tournament team of the Charleston Invite. Her solid weekend began against Mercer with 16 kills and 12 digs in the victory. She also recorded three service aces against the Bears. Mitrovic had one of her best defensive matches in the five-set win over the Bears with 24 digs to lead UB. She also chipped in 14 kills. In the weekend finale, Mitrovic had seven kills and 10 digs. It was the first time this season that she had double figures in digs in all three matches in a weekend.
Mary Murphy, Western Michigan, Setter
Junior – Wilmington, IL/Joliet Academy
Setter Mary Murphy led WMU’s explosive attack on the weekend as the Broncos finished in second at the Courtyard by Marriott Tournament hosted by UNC-Wilmington. For the weekend she averaged 11.91 assists on the weekend, raising her season average to 10.58. Murphy’s performance also led to WMU posting a .309 attack percentage in the three matches. In the 3-0 win against Morgan state she had 31 assists as the Broncos posted a then season-high attack percentage of .379. Against Liberty she had 44 assists in the 3-0 win and helped the team tied the third-highest attack percentage in a match in program history, .519. In the title game she had a season-high 56 assists and a season-high 17 digs in the 3-2 loss.
Franki Strefling, EMU, Outside Hitter
Freshman – Niles, MI/Buchanan
Strefling was spectacular once again over the weekend, earning All-Tournament honors for the second consecutive weekend. The freshman led the team with 41 total kills (3.42 per set) with a .253 attack percentage, and added 23 digs (1.92 per set). The Niles, Mich. native set a new career-high in kills in a match against tournament host Chicago State, finishing with 18, and led the Eagles for the entire weekend with 43.5 points.
Natalie Tagala, Kent State, Setter
Freshman – Bloomington, IL/Tri-Valley
Natalie Tagala had the best weekend of her young collegiate career and contributed in several areas in Kent State’s win over Fort Wayne to conclude the non-conference season. Tagala came close to a triple-double with 54 assists, 13 digs and 8 kills in the five-set victory. Her 8 kills are the most by a Golden Flashes setter since Nov. 11, 2010. Tagala also had a double-double in a three-set contest against undefeated Towson and is tied for the team lead with three on the season.
Meg Wolowicz, Northern Illinois, MB
Junior – Manitowoc, WI/Manitowoc Lincoln
NIU junior middle blocker Meg Wolowicz tallied 36 kills and 43.5 points for the week as the Huskies earned a midweek victory over Illinois State and competed at the Buckeye Invitational. Wolowicz posted double figure kills in three of the four matches. In addition to her 36 kills, and .292 hitting percentage, Wolowicz also tallied 12 total blocks for the week, including five in a victory over Illinois State (Sept. 12) and five against nationally-ranked Ohio State (Sept. 15). For the season, Wolowicz is averaging 0.88 blocks per set.
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