All-Time Weekly Winners >>>

Offensive Player of the Week  Sophia Wendlick, UC Santa Barbara | Junior • Outside Hitter • Milwaukee, Wis.

• Powering the Gauchos to a 3-0 start at the Wildcat Classic, Sophia Wendlick has been selected as Big West Offensive Player of the Week for Aug. 31. This is a first career weekly honor for the transfer from Creighton, making her debut for UC Santa Barbara. 

• Wendlick was named Most Valuable Player and an All-Tournament Team player at the event after averaging 3.91 kills per set on .356 hitting with five aces, four blocks and 20 digs.  

• The weekend was punctuated with Sunday’s sweep at Arizona, receiving votes in the AVCA preseason listings. In that contest, Wendlick powered down a career-high 19 kills while hitting .394 to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season. As a team, the Gauchos struck for 53 kills good for fourth in NCAA Division I in a three-set match.  

• Wendlick reached double figure kill outputs in each match with 11 against Tarleton State and 13 against Prairie View A&M. In Saturday’s sweep of PVAMU, the product of Milwaukee, Wis., finished with an efficient .440 hitting percentage (13-2-25) to go along with nine digs, just missing a first career double-double. 

Also Nominated: Kendall Beshear (Cal Poly); Andrea Brewer (UC Riverside); Hailey Brockway (CSUN); Sidney Hamaker (Long Beach State); Suelen Lima (Cal State Bakersfield); Molly McCluskey (UC San Diego); Victoria Marthaler (Sacramento State); Bella Risling (Cal State Fullerton); Madi Standifird (Utah Valley)

Defensive Player of the Week  Iye Okolo, CSUN | Senior • Middle Blocker • Fontana, Calif.

• After a banner weekend at the Buffs Classic, CSUN senior Iye Okolo has been named Big West Defensive Player of the Week for Aug. 31. This is Okolo’s first career weekly honor. 

• The middle blocker from Fontana, Calif., piled up 23 total blocks in three matches, including three solo stuffs, averaging 1.92 blocks per set to go along with 16 kills for the Matadors offense.  

• The weekend was highlighted with a seven-kill and 14-block effort in a five-loss set to Denver, with all three solos coming against the Pioneers. The mark matched a career-high and stands as the national benchmark in five-set matches through the first weekend of play. As a team, CSUN’s 20 team blocks is second in NCAA Division I. 

• In CSUN’s 3-1 against Central Arkansas on Sunday, Okolo contributed four kills with six blocks.  

Also Nominated: Lucia Barroso (UC San Diego); Zeynep Belgutay (UC Riverside); Analiese Gagliano (Cal State Bakersfield); Skyler Gartin (Sacramento State); Hannah Hass (Cal State Fullerton); Elif Hurriyet (Cal Poly); Anna Jelinek (Long Beach State); Lani Toutai (Utah Valley); Cortni Youngblood (UC Santa Barbara)

Setter of the Week  Alexis Haury, Cal Poly | Junior • Setter • Silverton, Ore.

• Directing the Cal Poly offense to a 2-1 weekend at the Texas A&M Invitational, Alexis Haury has been named Big West Setter of the Week for Aug. 31 after donning the green and gold for the first time.  

• The junior transfer from Washington became the first Mustang with more than 45 assists in a three-set match with head coach Caroline Walters’ younger sister Kate achieved the feat in 2011 in a three-set sweep to open the season against GCU. Haury finished the debut with 46 assists, three aces and three digs to set tone for the tournament as the team hit .274. Haury averaged an eye-popping 12.22 assists per set with 1.44 digs per set and five aces. The assists average is good for second in the country after the first week of play is in the books.   

• In the middle match against the hosts and No. 8 Texas A&M, Haury finished with 30 assists and another ace.

•  The Silverton, Ore., native set up 34 scoring plays with seven digs and three blocks as Cal Poly swept through Arkansas State on Sunday to cap the weekend with hitting .303 in the match.  

Also Nominated: Italia Bemal (Cal State Fullerton); Luiza Da Cruz Cal State Bakersfield); Elena Kasavica (UC Riverside); Brynne McGhie (UC San Diego); Madi Maxwell (Long Beach State); Evalyn Medaris (Utah Valley); Ayva Ostovar (UC Santa Barbara); Makenna Weipert (Sacramento State)

Rookie of the Week  Nalanie Neal, California Baptist | Freshman • Outside Hitter • Wytheville, Va.

• California Baptist true freshman Nalanie Neal opened the collegiate campaign in The Big West as Rookie of the Week for Aug. 31. 

• The first-year player for the Lancers stole the show for the offense on a road trip to New Mexico, leading the team with 27 kills in a weekend split.  

• The outside hitter from Wytheville, Va., registered a game-high 17 kills in a 3-1 season-opening win against New Mexico on Friday. The mark is the most successful strikes in a freshman debut in program history, paired with nine digs, three blocks and a pair of aces.  

• On Saturday, Neal followed up with a first career double-double in a loss to New Mexico State with 10 kills and 11 digs.  

• All told, Neal averaged 3.86 kills, 4.64 points and 2.86 digs per set as CBU embarked on a new era in The Big West. 

Also Nominated: Zeynep Belgutay (UC Riverside); Kyler Birkelbach (Long Beach State); Taylor Boice (UC Irvine); Yanik Defne (Cal State Bakersfield); Nikola Gamlin (Sacramento State); Annie Gilmore (CSUN); Bella Risling (Cal State Fullerton)