WVB: Steenhuysen Earns Conference Award

ELMHURST, Ill. - Fort Wayne’s Megan Steenhuysen earned The Summit League's Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week, while IUPUI’s Bethany Fogler and South Dakota State’s Shay Birath were named the Defensive Players of the Week, for their performances Oct. 8-14.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK  
Megan Steenhuysen, Fort Wayne
Sr. // S // Grand Rapids, Mich.
Steenhuysen collects her fifth career Offensive Player of the Week award and her second of the season after averaging 13.12 assists per set for the week.  The senior setter posted back-to-back matches of 50-plus assists.  She opened the week with 55 assists in a four-set win over Western Illinois and tallied 50 against Oakland.  On the week, Steenhuysen recorded 105 assists, averaging 13.12 per set, 21 digs (2.62 per set), five kills, three service aces and one block.  The Grand Rapids, Mich., native leads the league in assists, averaging 12.17 per set on the season.

Also nominated: Emily Lucas, Kansas City; Megan Lambertson, North Dakota State; Brittany Holbrook, Oakland; Kim Bulaga, South Dakota; Kelli Fiegen, South Dakota State; Samantha Fournier, Western Illinois.

Previous winners: Aug. 27 – Kelli Fiegen, SDSU; Sept. 4 – Meghan Bray, OU; Sept. 10 – Kaitlin Klingemann, SDSU; Sept. 17 – Kendall Kritenbrink, USD; Sept. 24 – Emily Spencer, IPFW; Oct. 1 – Megan Steenhuysen, IPFW & Megan Lambertson, NDSU; Oct. 8 – Moriah Fair, IUPUI.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Bethany Fogler, IUPUI
Sr. // MH // Fort Wayne, Ind.
Fogler earns her third career Defensive Player of the Week honor and her first of the season after tallying 2.38 blocks per set on the week.  In a four-set victory over South Dakota, she tallied nine blocks (1 solo block and 8 block assists).  The middle hitter bettered that performance with a career-high 10 blocks (2 solo blocks and 8 block assists) against Kansas City, tying the school record for blocks in match.  For the week, Fogler tallied 19 blocks, averaging 2.38 per set, 13 kills and five digs.

Shay Birath, South Dakota State
Sr. // L // Marshall, Minn.
Birath captures her sixth career Defensive Player of the Week award and second of the season after setting the school record for digs in a four-set match and averaging 7.50 digs per set for the week.  The senior libero collected 28 digs against Northern Iowa and followed that up with 32 digs in a four-set win over Omaha, setting the school record for digs in a four-set match.  On the week, Birath collected 60 digs, averaging 7.50, nearly one dig more than the NCAA leader on the season, and eight assists.

Also nominated: Tessa McGill, Fort Wayne; Emma Hagedorn, Kansas City; Andrea Henning, North Dakota State; Megan Bray, Oakland; Riley Haug, South Dakota.

Previous winners: Aug. 27 – Tessa McGill, IPFW; Sept. 4 – Kelli Fiegen, SDSU; Sept. 10 – Alli Kirk, OU; Sept. 17 – Shay Birath, SDSU; Sept. 24 – Bridget Murphy, WIU; Oct. 1 – Tessa McGill; Oct. 8 – Alli Kirk, OU.