Minnesota and Wisconsin Earn Big Ten Player of the Week Honors

Minnesota’s Sarah Wilhite, Samantha Seliger-Swenson and Alexis Hart named Player of the Week, Setter of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively; Wisconsin’s Tionna Williams earns Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Player of the Week
Sarah Wilhite, Minnesota
OH – Sr. – Eden Prairie, Minn. – Eden Prairie

• Guided No. 6 Minnesota to victories over No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 16 Florida State
• Averaged 4.9 kills per set and posted a .313 hitting percentage on the week
• Added 13 digs, four blocks and three service aces
• The two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection earns her third career Big Ten Player of the Week honor
• Last Minnesota Player of the Week: Sarah Wilhite (Nov. 30, 2015)

Defensive Player of the Week
Tionna Williams, Wisconsin
MB – So. – Fort Wayne, Ind. – Concordia Lutheran

• Helped No. 2 Wisconsin to wins over No. 18 San Diego and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
• For the week, averaged 2.2 blocks per set
• Recorded 11 total blocks in just five sets
• Collects her third career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award
• Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week: Haleigh Nelson (Nov. 23, 2015)

Setter of the Week
Samantha Seliger-Swenson, Minnesota
S – So. – Minnetonka, Minn. – Hopkins

• Led No. 6 Minnesota to wins over No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 16 Florida State
• Averaged 12.6 assists per set on the week
• Added nine digs, six blocks and an ace
• Helped lead the Golden Gophers to a .308 team hitting percentage
• Earns her third career Setter of the Week award
• Last Minnesota Setter of the Week: Samantha Seliger-Swenson (Oct. 25, 2015)

Freshman of the Week
Alexis Hart, Minnesota
OH – Fr. – Independence, Mo. – Truman

• Propelled No. 6 Minnesota to wins against No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 16 Florida State
• Posted 22 kills on the week, averaging 3.1 kills per set, hitting at a clip of .308
• Posted 15 kills on 33 attempts in the Golden Gophers’ victory over the Seminoles
• Earns her first career Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor
• Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Samantha Seliger-Swenson (Nov. 30, 2015)

2016 Big Ten Volleyball Players of the Week
Aug. 29
P: Taylor Sandbothe, OSU
D: Ashlyn MacGregor, MD
S: Kelly Hunter, Nebraska
S: Lauren Carlini, WIS
F: Molly Haggerty, WIS

Sept.5
P: Sarah Wilhite, MINN
D: Tionna Williams, WIS
S: Samantha Seliger-Swenson, MINN
F: Alexis Hart, MINN

Courtesy of The Big Ten.