Women's Volleyball

PSAC Women's Volleyball Athletes of the Week - 5

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its Women's Volleyball Athletes of the Week honorees. In the West, Gannon's Nehir Yazicioglu was selected as Athlete of the Week while Slippery Rock's Lauren VonderHaar was named Defensive Athlete of the Week. In the East, Shippensburg's Kearstin Davis (Athlete) and East Stroudsburg's Marta Leeland (Defensive) earned the honors.

Western Division Athlete of the Week

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Nehir Yazicioglu
Gannon
Outside Hitter
Junior
Ankara, Turkey

Yazicioglu powered Gannon’s offense during a 2–0 PSAC West week as the Golden Knights swept both Indiana (Pa.) and Pitt-Johnstown at the Highmark Events Center. She totaled 26 kills (4.33 per set) while hitting .368 for the weekend, leading all players in both matches. The junior added six service aces, 20 digs, and four blocks, averaging 5.5 points per set across six frames. Against IUP, Yazicioglu registered 11 kills, 11 digs, and 4 aces before erupting for 15 kills on .464 hitting in the win over Pitt-Johnstown. Her all-around performance helped Gannon extend its win streak to six straight, notch its fifth consecutive sweep, and improve to 4–0 at home while snapping UPJ’s five-match win streak.


Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week

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Lauren VonderHaar
Slippery Rock
Middle Blocker
Senior
Aurora, Ohio / Aurora

VonderHaar led Slippery Rock to a perfect 2-0 record last week with a pair of four-set wins over Seton Hill and California. In two matches, VonderHaar recorded 16 blocks (five solo / 11 assisted / 2.00 per set) in addition to going for 17 kills on an efficient .350 attack percentage. Following a six-block showing against Seton Hill, VonderHaar exploded for a 14-kill, 10-block double-double against California, which entered its match against The Rock with a 13-2 overall record. VonderHaar’s 10 blocks against California were the most by a PSAC West athlete this week.


Eastern Division Athlete of the Week

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Kearstin Davis
Shippensburg
Setter
Senior
San Antonio, Texas? / Reagan

Shippensburg opened PSAC East play with three road wins - a four-set victory at Shepherd followed by five-set triumphs at Lock Haven and Bloomsburg. Davis, a senior setter, was all over the floor. She helped direct the Raider offense to a .216 hitting percentage while serving as a dynamic weapon with her serve. Davis tallied 110 assists, an average of 7.86 per set, despite SU occasionally switching to a 5-2 lineup at times. She also snuck in six kills on dumps. Her service game included a team-high 12 aces - including seven against Shepherd which matched her career high. Defensively, Davis was second on the team for the week with 44 digs - 3.14 digs per set. Her performance at Shepherd included 36 assists, seven aces to just one error, three kills and 16 digs. Against Bloomsburg she had 39 assists, four aces and also 20 digs - a season high and one short of her career high. Davis's 12 aces is the most by a PSAC player against conference opponents so far this season. 


Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week

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Marta Leeland
East Stroudsburg
Defensive Specialist / Libero
Freshman
Portage, Wis. / Portage

Leeland recorded 41 digs across the two matches (6 sets played). ESU defeated Millersville 3-0 and West Chester 3-0. Leeland posted 18 digs against Millersville. She followed this up with an outstanding 23 digs against West Chester - her 23 digs accounted for nearly 40% of ESU's total team digs. Leeland did not record any reception errors in either match. Additionally, she had 3 assists against Millersville and 2 assists and 2 aces against West Chester.