Pac-12 Announces Women's 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 Oct. 19-25. USC’s Samantha Bricio was voted the Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week for the fifth time this year, STANFORD’s Merete Lutz was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week and her teammate Hayley Hodson was selected Freshman of the Week for the fourth time season.
PAC-12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: SAMANTHA BRICIO, USC (SR, OH, Guadalajara, Mexico)
Samantha Bricio led the Trojans to another Conference sweep last weekend, this time over Oregon and Oregon State, averaging 6.71 points, 0.86 aces and 3.29 digs per set. She recorded 23 kills, two assists, two services aces, 15 digs and three total blocks in the 3-1 victory at Oregon State. It marked her 10th double-double of the season. In the 3-0 win at Oregon, Bricio posted 15 kills, one assist, four service aces, eight digs and two total blocks. She leads the country in aces per set (0.76) and points per set (6.26). Bricio, who had been named the league's Offensive Player of the Week three times in her career entering the season, has earned the honor eight times overall. She is only the third player ever to earn five weekly accolades in one season (Logan Tom, STAN, 2001 and Karsta Lowe, UCLA, 2014). She also ties Natalie Williams (UCLA) with eight selections for third all-time in league history. It is USC’s 66th all-time weekly honor.
Also Nominated: Halli Amaro, ARIZ; Bree Bailey, ASU; Lillian Schonewise, CAL; Alexis Austin, COLO; Martenne Bettendorf, ORE; Mary-Kate Marshall, OSU; Hayley Hodson, STAN; Jordan Anderson, UCLA; Lianna Sybeldon, WASH.
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: MERETE LUTZ, STAN (RS-SO, MB, Houston, Texas)
Merete Lutz was an instrumental part of the Cardinal defense swept the Washington schools last weekend. In the 3-2 upset victory over then-No. 4 Washington, Lutz tallied 13 kills and seven total blocks (two solo, five assisted). She then pitched in10 kills and four total in its 3-0 win against Washington State. She averaged 2.88 kills, 1.38 blocks and 3.69 points per set in the two matches. It is her first weekly honor of the season and the third of her career. Stanford has 95 all-time weekly accolades.
Also Nominated: Halli Amaro, ARIZ; Whitney Follette, ASU; Maddy Kerr, CAL; Naghede Abu, COLO; Amanda Benson, ORE; Jessi Seumaio, OSU; Merete Lutz, STAN; Taylor Formico, UCLA; Taylor Whittingham, USC; Lianna Sybeldon, WASH.
PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: HAYLEY HODSON, STAN (FR, OPP, Newport Beach, Calif.)
Hayley Hodson led Stanford to a 3-2 upset victory over then-No. 4 Washington with a career-high 25 kills. Hodson also contributed an assist, three service aces, 11 digs and two total blocks. It was Hodson’s seventh double-double of the season. In the 3-0 win against Washington State, she had five kills, nine digs and two total blocks. For the weekend, Hodson averaged 3.75 kills, 2.50 digs and 4.38 points per set. It is the fourth freshman of the week honor for Hodson and the 13th all-time for Stanford since the award’s inception in 2011.
Also Nominated: Tyler Spriggs, ARIZ; Jasmine Koonts, ASU; Belen Castillo, CAL; Naghede Abu, COLO; Sumeet Gill, ORE; Kayla Ellis, OSU; Hayley Hodson, STAN; Zana Muno, UCLA; Alyse Ford, USC; McKenna Woodford, WSU.
Weekly awards have been selected every week of the season since the Conference began sponsoring women’s volleyball in 1986. It is the fifth 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