Pac-12 announces volleyball players of the week

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - The Pac-12 Conference office announced the Pac-12 Volleyball Players of the Week for the week of Nov. 11-17. WASHINGTON’s Krista Vansant was named Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. STANFORD’s Carly Wopat was voted Defensive Player of the Week while WASHINGTON STATE’s Kyra Holt was tabbed Freshman of the Week.

Junior outside hitter Krista Vansant (Redlands, Calif.) led the Huskies in kills in both matches over the course of the week, putting down 14 in a sweep of UCLA and then adding 21 more in Friday’s marquee match against then-No. 4 USC. In the four-set win over the Trojans, Vansant also added 11 digs for her 10th double-double of the season, along with two service aces and a season-high six blocks. Vansant averaged six points per set while hitting .382 in 76 total attempts, committing only six hitting errors. The wins extended Washington’s winning streak to 13 matches and marked only the second time in school history that the Huskies completed season sweeps of both UCLA and USC, the other being in 2008.

Senior middle blocker Carly Wopat (Santa Barbara, Calif.) led Stanford defensively to a four-set win at Oregon and a 3-0 win at Oregon State, completing the season sweep of both schools. Wopat averaged 2.00 blocks per set and 0.57 digs per set in the two matches. She hit at an average of .500, throwing down 23 kills on 40 total attempts with only three service errors. At Oregon, Wopat registered her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and a season-best 12 blocks for a total of 16.5 points. At OSU, she led all players with 13 kills on 18 swings with just one error to hit .667 while also collecting two blocks and two digs. Stanford has now reached the 20-win plateau for the 33rd time in school history, including all 13 seasons under head coach John Dunning. 

Outside hitter Kyra Holt (Hercules, Calif.) had 31 kills to lead the Cougars during two five-set matches over the week, including 13 kills in Washington State’s come-from-behind upset win against then-No. 4 USC in Pullman. Down 14-9 in the fifth set, Holt had four kills in WSU’s final 12 points to win the set 21-19 and the match 3-2. Holt added 19 digs and four blocks against the Trojans for her 11th double-double of the season. Against UCLA, Holt had 18 kills, nine digs and four blocks. She has recorded double-digit kills in 26 of the Cougars’ 29 matches this season. WSU’s win over the Trojans marks the second win over a ranked Pac-12 opponent for the Cougars this season. 

It is Vansant’s fifth-career weekly award and her fourth this season. She has earned Offensive Player of the Week three times and Defensive Player of the Week once this season. The honor brings Washington’s total to 42 all-time selections. Wopat’s honor this week is the sixth of her career and her second defensive weekly award, as well as Stanford’s 86th all-time. It is Holt’s third-career freshman of the week nod, having earned it previously on Sept. 9 and Nov. 4. 

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.

Washington and Washington State both travel to the Bay Area to face Stanford and California on their home courts, with the Cardinal hosting the Huskies on Wednesday, Nov. 4 and the Cougars on Friday, Nov. 22. 

Also Nominated:
OFFENSIVE: Jane Croson, ARIZ; BreElle Bailey, ASU; Taylor Simpson, COLO; Liz Brenner, ORE; Carly Wopat, STAN; Karsta Lowe, UCLA; Shelby Dalton, UTAH. 

DEFENSIVE: Olivia Magill, ARIZ; Cierra Simpson, COLO; Amanda Benson, ORE; Kelly Reeves, UCLA; Morgan Odale, UTAH; Cassie Strickland, WASH; Kate Sommer, WSU.

FRESHMAN: Penina Snuka, ARIZ; Cierra Simpson, COLO; Amanda Benson, ORE; Jessyka Ngauamo, UCLA; Tess Sutton, UTAH. 

2013 Pac-12 Women’s Volleyball Players of the Week