Onye Ofoegbu, UC Irvine   Women’s Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week    Sophomore • Middle Blocker • Cerritos, Calif.

• Sophomore middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu powered the UC Irvine offense over the weekend at the Sacred Heart Invitational, averaging 3.50 kills per set while hitting .538 (35-7-52) for the Anteaters. 

• The Cerritos, Calif., native hit an impressive .786 (12-1-14) with three aces in a sweep over tournament hosts Sacred Heart. 

• In the final match of the weekend against Lafayette, Ofoegbu recorded 17 kills and a career-best 10 total blocks, bringing her block average to 1.30 per set in the event. 

• Ofoegbu is currently in the top 5 in the conference in numerous statistical categories including hitting percentage (.440 - 2nd), blocks per set (1.41 - 2nd) and points per set (4.47 - 3rd). 

Also nominated: Julia Crawford (Cal State Fullerton); Annika De Geode (Hawai’i); Tallulah Froley (UC Santa Barbara); Ayanna Kimbrough (UC Riverside); Haley McCluskey (CSU Bakersfield); Ava McInnes (UC San Diego); Jamie Stivers (Cal Poly); Kashauna Williams (Long Beach State) 

Naya Dong, UC San Diego  Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week    Junior • Libero • Kailua, Hawai’i ?

• UC San Diego junior libero Naya Dong helped guide the Tritons to their first-ever NCAA Division I victory and two wins at the New Mexico Classic. 

• The native from Kailua, Hawai’i and transfer from Utah averaged 4.9 digs per set with 49 total en route to All-Tournament Team honors. 

• Dong amassed a match and career-high 24 digs against Southeastern Louisiana and added 16 digs in a sweep of previously unbeaten New Mexico. 

• Anchoring the defense, she held a .967 reception percentage with just one error of 10 sets of play on the weekend. 

Also nominated: Paige Calvin (CSU Bakersfield); Julia Crawford (Cal State Fullerton); Peyton Dueck (Cal Poly); Rowan Ennis (UC Santa Barbara); Nicole Hoff (Long Beach State);Tayli Ikenaga (Hawai’i); Lexi McLeod (CSUN); Onye Ofoegbu (UC Irvine); Zoey Seput (UC Riverside) 

Michelle Ohwobete, UC Santa Barbara  Women’s Volleyball Freshman of the Week    Freshman • Outside Hitter • Oakland, Calif. ?

• Michelle Ohwobete led UC Santa Barbara to a tournament title at the UniWyo Invite as the Gauchos notched victories over Missouri and Northwestern. 

• The freshman outside hitter notched double-digit kills in all three matches, including a career-high tying 16 against the hosts from Wyoming. In Friday’s second match, she hit .364 with 12 kills, nine digs and three blocks in a sweep of Missouri.
• She finished the weekend with 38 kills, 25 digs, 11 total blocks and three aces, and was named tournament most valuable player for her efforts. 

Also nominated: Kameron Bacon (Long Beach State); Samia Bhakta (CSU Bakersfield); Grace Colburn (UC Irvine); Annika De Geode (Hawai’i); Peyton Dueck (Cal Poly); Madison Lounds (UC Riverside); Ava McInnes (UC San Diego); Lyla Traylor (Cal State Fullerton)

 

2021 Big West Weekly Award Winners