Pac-12 Announces Volleyball Players of the Week
SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 Conference office announced today the Pac-12 Volleyball Players of the Week for the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4. ARIZONA STATE'S Macey Gardner was voted the Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week, COLORADO’s Cierra Simpson was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week and STANFORD’s Hayley Hodson was selected the Freshman of the Week for the second time this season.
PAC-12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: MACEY GARDNER, ARIZONA STATE (SR, OH, Gilbert, Ariz.)
Macey Gardner led the then-No. 6 Sun Devils to a four-set win over No. 8 Stanford, snapping a 28-match losing streak to the Cardinal dating back to the 2000 season. She recorded 22 kills, including seven each in the first and third sets, helping ASU to a .379 attack percentage for the match. In the three-set win over California, Gardner recorded 14 kills, breaking the 20-year-old Arizona State school record for kills in a career which was set in 1995. She now holds the record at 1,873 and counting. Nine of Gardner’s 14 kills, including the record-breaking 13th, came in the third set, where ASU hit .312 as a team and .326 for the match. It is ASU's first sweep of the Bay Area schools in the same weekend since 1993. This is the second time that Gardner has earned offensive player of the week honors in her career and it is the 21st all-time honor for ASU.
Also Nominated: Kalei Mau, ARIZ; Alexis Austin, COLO; Martenne Bettendorf, ORE; Mary-Kate Marshall, OSU; Merete Lutz, STAN; Jordan Anderson, UCLA; Samantha Bricio, USC; LIanna Sybeldon, WASH.
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: CIERRA SIMPSON, COLORADO (JR, L, Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Cierra Simpson notched a career-high 29 digs as the Buffs came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat then-No. 22 Oregon on the road. Her 29 digs this for the second-most single-match total in the Pac-12 this season and the most in a five-set match. Simpson then recorded 14 digs in Colorado's 3-0 victory over Oregon State. She only had one receiving error all weekend for the Buffs. It is Simpson's first career weekly accolade and Colorado's fifth all-time.
Also Nominated: Penina Snuka, ARIZ; Whitney Follette, ASU; Cierra Simpson, COLO; Amanda Benson, ORE; Haley Clarker, OSU; Merete Lutz, STAN; Taylor Formico, UCLA; Alicia Ogoms, USC; Melanie Wade, WASH.
PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: HAYLEY HODSON, STANFORD (FR, OH, Newport Beach, Calif.)
Hayley Hodson tallied her fifth double-double of the season (13 kills, 11 digs) and tied ar career high with three aces in the Cardinal's five-set win at then-No. 14 Arizona. She followed up with a career-high tying 18 kills in a 3-1 loss at then-No. 6 Arizona State. She also chipped in seven digs and two total blocks in the setback. It is the second time this season earned freshman of the week accolades. Hodson also received the honor after the opening week of play on Aug. 31. For Stanford, it is the program's 11th all-time freshman of the week honor, the second-most in the league since the award's inception 2011.
Also Nominated: Kendra Dahlke, ARIZ; Naghede Abu, COLO; Lindsey Vander Weide, ORE; Kayla Ellis, OSU; Baylee Johnson, USC; Destiny Julye, WASH.
Weekly awards have been selected every week of the season since the Conference began sponsoring women’s volleyball in 1986. It is the third year the Pac-12 has announced an offensive, defensive and rookie honoree. Freshman of the week honors are not included in the all-time totals for each institution.
2015 PAC-12 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK