University of Southern Indiana sophomore outside hitter Shelbi Morris and McKendree University sophomore outside hitter Arela Williams have earned Baden/Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week honors in the sport of volleyball, it was announced by the league office Monday.
Morris was named Baden/GLVC Offensive Player of the Week, while Williams was selected Baden/Defensive Player of the Week.
Williams led McKendree to a 2-0 record in a pair of pivotal league matches this week. The Bearcats came into the weekend sitting in second place in the East Division, slated to face off against third-place UW-Parkside and first-place No.18 Lewis. The outside hitter put down a match-high 20 kills, 21 digs, and added one block for McK in a 3-2, come-from-behind win over Parkside and followed up with match highs in kills (18) and digs (22) against Lewis, holding the Flyers offense to a .199 team hitting percentage in the second five-set victory. The Bearcats halted Lewis' 21-match win streak and handed the Flyers their first GLVC loss of the season. The victory also marked McK's first win over Lewis since joining the GLVC in 2012. Through both matches, the sophomore had 38 kills and 43 digs in two matches, averaging 4.30 digs per set with just three errors in 10 sets.
The San Diego, Calif., product garners her first career weekly honor and is the first Cat to be chosen since Maddie Kelly's selection on October 28, 2013.