Anderson, Lucas earn C-USA weekly awards
Published 10:18 pm Monday, October 31, 2016
- Setter Jessica Lucas sets the ball during their win over UAB on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016, at E.A. Diddle Arena. (Austin Anthony / photo@bgdailynews.com)
For the second consecutive week, a pair of Western Kentucky volleyball players collected Conference USA Player of the Week honors Monday.
Rachel Anderson was named the Offensive Player of the Week and Jessica Lucas earned Co-Setter of the Week honors after helping the Lady Toppers extend their win streak to 15.
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The honor marked Anderson’s second consecutive Offensive Player of the Week nod and third weekly honor of her career after she was named the Freshman of the Week during her debut season in 2015.
For Lucas, it marked the seventh Setter of the Week accolade of the 2016 season, which is a Conference USA single-season record across all four weekly volleyball awards. The junior now owns 12 career Setter of the Week honors, the second most all-time for the award.
WKU (24-2 overall, 11-0 C-USA) swept both of its weekend opponents, taking down Marshall on Friday before heading to UAB on Sunday. Anderson worked at a .553 weekend hitting rate while racking up 29 kills for a 4.83 kills per set average.
The sophomore also tied for the team-high five blocks, including a pair of solo stops for 0.83 blocks per set. On Friday against Marshall, Anderson led the way for the WKU offense, producing a match-high 17 kills on 28 swings for a .571 clip.
Lucas recorded her 10th double-double performance of the season in Sunday’s victory at UAB with 36 assists and a team-high 12 digs. The two-time All-American registered 11.83 assists per set in the weekend sweeps for a total of 71 helpers while leading the WKU squad to a .393 hitting percentage.
Lucas worked at a .278 weekend hitting rate herself with six kills while also tallying the second-most digs by a Lady Topper with 20. WKU hitters recorded a kill on more than half (.504) of Lucas’ sets over the weekend.
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WKU players have now won 12 weekly honors this season.
Also Monday, the Lady Toppers climbed two spots in the AVCA Coaches Poll to No. 21, their highest spot since starting the year ranked No. 19.
WKU’s next matchup is a 6 p.m. meeting Friday with Rice at E.A. Diddle Arena.