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Volleyball’s Avila Named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week
November 06, 2017 | Women's Volleyball
CLEVELAND, Ohio - - For her part in helping guide the Ball State women's volleyball team to a 2-0 record last week, sophomore libero Kate Avila (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) has been named the Mid-American Conference West Division Defensive Player of the Week.
Avila, who averaged 6.14 digs per set and finished the week with a .912 (52-for-57) reception percentage, also helped the Cardinals (17-10; 9-5 MAC) secure at least a share of the MAC West Division championship, as well as a berth in the 2017 MAC Tournament hosted by Miami (Nov. 16-19).
"Kate had another really solid week," head coach Kelli Miller said. "She continues to take more ownership of the back row each weekend, and I can see her confidence continuing to grow."
A two-time career MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Avila led all players with a match-high 26 digs in Thursday's four-set win over Toledo. With her fourth dig of the night, she became the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs. She is also the third-fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs, doing so in just 57 career matches.
In Saturday's sweep at Akron, Avila strung together a seven-point service run midway through the second set to help the Cardinals win the frame 25-23. Avila, who led all players with 17 digs in the match, also put together a late run in the opening set to tie the score at 22 with one of her three aces on the night.
Avila enters the final week of the regular season ranked sixth in the MAC and 45th nationally with a 4.91 digs-per-set average. Her 511 digs total digs on the year are also fifth in the league and 32nd among all NCAA Division I players.
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes out the 2017 regular season this weekend with a pair of critical divisional matches at Northern Illinois (Friday, 6 p.m. CT) and Western Michigan (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET).
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
Avila, who averaged 6.14 digs per set and finished the week with a .912 (52-for-57) reception percentage, also helped the Cardinals (17-10; 9-5 MAC) secure at least a share of the MAC West Division championship, as well as a berth in the 2017 MAC Tournament hosted by Miami (Nov. 16-19).
"Kate had another really solid week," head coach Kelli Miller said. "She continues to take more ownership of the back row each weekend, and I can see her confidence continuing to grow."
A two-time career MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Avila led all players with a match-high 26 digs in Thursday's four-set win over Toledo. With her fourth dig of the night, she became the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs. She is also the third-fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs, doing so in just 57 career matches.
In Saturday's sweep at Akron, Avila strung together a seven-point service run midway through the second set to help the Cardinals win the frame 25-23. Avila, who led all players with 17 digs in the match, also put together a late run in the opening set to tie the score at 22 with one of her three aces on the night.
Avila enters the final week of the regular season ranked sixth in the MAC and 45th nationally with a 4.91 digs-per-set average. Her 511 digs total digs on the year are also fifth in the league and 32nd among all NCAA Division I players.
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes out the 2017 regular season this weekend with a pair of critical divisional matches at Northern Illinois (Friday, 6 p.m. CT) and Western Michigan (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET).
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
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