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OVC Volleyball Standouts Shine as Championship Season Heats Up
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The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) volleyball landscape is intensifying as teams battle for playoff positioning. This week’s action, spanning November 5th through the 8th, saw notable performances across the conference, culminating in the recognition of several outstanding players.
weekly Schedule Recap
The week kicked off with a mid-week matchup on Wednesday, November 5th, featuring Tennessee Tech traveling to face Southern Indiana at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, November 6th, saw a pair of contests: SIUE at Morehead state (5:00 p.m.) and Little Rock at Western Illinois (5:00 p.m.). The action continued into the weekend, with little Rock and Western Illinois facing off again on Friday at 2:00 p.m., alongside SIUE at Morehead State (4:00 p.m.), Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State (6:00 p.m.), Southern Indiana at UT Martin (6:00 p.m.), and Lindenwood at Southeast Missouri (6:00 p.m.). Saturday, November 8th, concluded the week with Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State (2:00 p.m.), Southern Indiana at UT Martin (2:00 p.m.), and Lindenwood at Southeast Missouri (2:00 p.m.).
Player of the Week Honors
Lindenwood dominated the weekly awards,with Ashley Geluck and Dana Grib earning Co-Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors,respectively,while Amelia Thro and Kylee Richey were recognized as Setter and Freshman of the Week.
Offensive Player of the Week
Ashley Geluck, a senior outside hitter from Lindenwood, led the Lions to a 2-1 record with a stellar performance, totaling 53 kills (4.42 per set) and a .341 hitting percentage. Geluck recorded double-digit kills in all three matches, including a season-high 21 against Southeast Missouri. She also contributed 16 digs and five blocks throughout the week. Geluck ranks second in the OVC in kills per set (3.88) and points per set (4.48) and leads the conference in kills per set (4.58) and points per set (5.58) in conference play.
Othre players nominated for the offensive award included Katie Kopshever (Eastern Illinois), A’Lanae Margaritha (Little Rock), Marin Johnson (Southeast Missouri), Ashby Willis (southern Indiana), Maygan Miller-garcia (Tennessee State), Bella Powell (Tennessee Tech), and Kennedy Adair (Western Illinois).
Defensive Player of the Week
Dana Grib, a junior libero/defensive specialist from Lindenwood, anchored the Lions’ defense with an impressive 69 digs, averaging 5.75 digs per set. Grib reached a career-high and OVC-high 34 digs in a four-set match against Western Illinois on Friday. She began the week with 19 digs against SIUE and concluded it with 16 versus Western Illinois.
Ariadna Pereles (Eastern Illinois), Andrea Roman (Little Rock), Nina Schuberth (Southeast Missouri), Audrey Small (Southern Indiana), erini Bitsaktsi (Tennessee State), Jordan Karlen (Tennessee Tech), and Hillary Estes (Western Illinois) also received nominations for the defensive award.
Setter of the Week
Amelia Thro, a redshirt junior setter from Lindenwood, orchestrated the Lions’ offense with a remarkable 62 assists against Western Illinois on Friday, averaging 15.5 assists per set – the second-highest total in the nation for a four-set match. Thro added six digs, two service aces, and a kill to her record-setting performance, totaling 152 assists for the week. She also tallied 25 total digs, including a double-double to close out the week.
Catalina Rochaix (Eastern Illinois), Sydney Sennett (Morehead State), Aysa Thomas (Southern Indiana), Sagaia Reilly (Tennessee State), and Jaleah Bauss (Western Illinois) were also considered for the setter award.
Freshman of the Week
Kylee Richey, a freshman outside hitter/middle blocker from Lindenwood, contributed 33 kills (2.75 per set) across three matches. Richey consistently delivered, recording 11 kills in each contest, and added 11 total blocks for 41
