One UC Irvine player and a pair of Hawai‘i teammates captured the Big West Women’s Volleyball weekly awards.
Pickrell Ties Career High In Kills
UC Irvine sophomore Cassidy Pickrell (Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS) notched Big West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honors as she delivered a career-high in kills against Cal State Fullerton.
Pickrell’s 25 kills led to a four-set victory against UCI’s Orange County rivals, and the Anteaters extended their season-best win streak to five straight.
The outside hitter hit a blistering .377 with just five errors in a personal-high 53 attempts. It was Pickrell’s second-best hitting performance of the year.
She added six digs, a service ace and a block solo to her stat line.
Others nominated: Mackenzie Olsen (Cal State Fullerton); Cieana Stinson (CSUN); Chisom Okpala (Long Beach State); Kaylin Squyres (UC Davis); Ali Barbeau (UC Santa Barbara); Nikki Taylor (Hawai‘i)
Greeley Helps Rainbow Wahine To Big West Sweep
Hawai‘i outside hitter Kalei Greeley (Riverside, Calif./King HS) notched Big West Women’s Volleyball Freshman Player of the Week honors with a pair of double-digit kill performances.
Greeley averaged 3.00 kills and 2.43 digs to help the Rainbow Wahine sweep Cal Poly and defeat UC Santa Barbara in four sets at home last week. The two wins helped UH take sole control of second place in the Big West.
Nearly missing a double-double in both matches, Greeley posted 11 kills and nine digs while hitting .308 (11-3-26) against Cal Poly. She had 10 kills and eight digs to go along with one block assist against the Gauchos.
Others nominated: Niki Withers (Cal State Fullerton); Lauren Conati (CSUN); Ashley Murray (Long Beach State); Aima Eichie (UC Davis)
Career-High In Digs Nets Mendoza Honor
Hawai‘i senior Sarah Mendoza (Santa Barbara, Calif./Irvine Valley College) earned Big West Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week honors after notching a career-high 25 digs in an important conference victory.
The libero led the Rainbow Wahine with 14 digs against Cal Poly and a career-high 25 versus UC Santa Barbara in a pair of victories. The four-set win over the Gauchos came after UCSB had pinned a three-set upset on CSUN, the highest-rated Big West team in the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index.
Mendoza ranks No. 4 in the Big West with 4.15 digs per set, and she has recorded 20 or more digs in five matches this season.
Others nominated: Paige Reed (Cal State Fullerton); Casey Hinger (CSUN); Tyler Jackson (Long Beach State); Aima Eichie (UC Davis); Shelley Anderson (UC Irvine); Ali Spindt (UC Santa Barbara)