Monday, November 17, 2008

Crusader senior middle hitter Allison Sears (Elkhart, Ind./Memorial) was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after her standout performance in the regular season finale on Saturday.

Sears, who sat out Friday’s match against Chicago State, tied for match-high honors in Valpo’s sweep of Wright State with 13 kills and hit at a match-best .478 clip.  It was the sixth time this year that the senior has hit better than .400 in a match with at least 12 kills.  Sears closed the regular season third in the Horizon League in kills with 3.26 kills/set and eighth with a .258 hitting percentage.

Sears earned Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this year, making her the fourth Crusader to be a two-time league Player of the Week recipient this season.  Juniors Kim Bukowski (Waukesha, Wis./West) and Angie Porché (Lynwood, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) were each named Offensive Player of the Week by the league on two occasions earlier this year, while senior Brittany Malicoat (Elkhart, Ind./Memorial) was a two-time honoree on the defensive side of the ball.