Joy Umeh, UC Irvine  Women’s Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week  Sophomore • Outside Hitter • Lakewood, Calif.

• UC Irvine sophomore outside hitter Joy Umeh averaged an eye-popping 5.13 kills per set in a pair of weekend matches, including a career-high 26 kills in a five-set victory over Long Beach State. It was her second 20-kill performance of her collegiate career. 

• The Lakewood, Calif., native started the week with a team-best 15 kills on .419 hitting in a road loss at Cal State Fullerton.  

• Umeh closed the week hitting .365, well above her season average of .270. 

• This is Umeh’s first career Big West weekly honor. 

Also nominated: Julia Crawford (Cal State Fullerton), Rowan Ennis (UC Santa Barbara), Amber Igiede (Hawai’i), Emily McDaniel (UC San Diego), Taylor Orshoff (CSUN), Tommi Stockham (Cal Poly), Olivia Utterback (UC Davis), Kashauna Williams (Long Beach State)

Josephine Ough, UC Davis  Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week  Junior • Middle Blocker • El Cerrito, Calif.

• UC Davis’ Josephine Ough was a force on both sides of the ball for the Aggies in their split last week. Along with compiling double-digit kills in both matches, her career-high 12 blocks on Saturday helped UC Davis hand UC Santa Barbara its first Big West loss of the year.  

• Ough's 12 blocks are tied for the second-most in a single match in UC Davis program history and the most since Kelechi Ohiri collected 12 against Cal Poly on Nov. 24, 2015. Meanwhile, the team's 19 blocks on Saturday were just one shy of the school's four-set match record. The 12-block match tally is the highest in the NCAA this season. 

• The junior from El Cerrito, Calif., finished with 14 kills and hit .458 against CSUN on Thursday to go along with four blocks and a dig. Her total numbers for the week were 24 kills on .404 hitting and 16 blocks.  

• She ranks second in The Big West in blocks per set (1.35), and first in hitting percentage (.419). 

• This is Ough’s first career Big West weekly honor. 

Also nominated: Makayla Bradford (CSUN), Neena Dimas (Cal State Fullerton), Naya Dong (UC San Diego), Nicole Hoff (Long Beach State), Amber Igiede (Hawai’i), Onye Ofoegbu (UC Irvine), Macall Peed (UC Santa Barbara), Lea Ungar (Cal Poly)

Emily McDaniel, UC San Diego  Women’s Volleyball Freshman of the Week  Freshman • Middle Blocker • Anaheim, Calif.

• UC San Diego freshman middle blocker Emily McDaniel enjoyed a banner weekend in a Tritons’ split, tallying 29 kills (3.63 per set), 10 blocks, four digs and two aces. 

• Friday at Long Beach State, McDaniel posted a career- and team-high with 15 kills on .387 hitting to go along with a match-best seven blocks in the four-set defeat. 

• McDaniel followed it up with 14 kills on .379 hitting with three blocks, three digs and two aces in a four-set victory over Cal State Fullerton.  
• This is McDaniel’s first career Big West weekly award. 

Also nominated: Amara Aimufua (UC Davis), Kameron Bacon (Long Beach State), Amy Hiatt (Cal Poly), Tayli Ikenaga (Hawai’i), Michelle Ohwobete (UC Santa Barbara), Carly Richter (UC Irvine)

 

2021 Big West Weekly Award Winners