Nike #HLVB Players of the Week (March 18)
INDIANAPOLIS – Milwaukee’s Kleja Cerniauskaite and RMU’s Maria Alfano picked up Nike® #HLVB Players of the Week honors in week eight. Cerniauskaite led the Panthers to two victories over Oakland, posting 5.3 kills per set while hitting .393. Alfano received Player of the Week recognition as the Colonials earned two wins over IUPUI and the senior totaled 3.42 kills per set, 1.29 blocks per set and hit .383.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK | KLEJA CERNIAUSKAITE | MILWAUKEE | JUNIOR | MIDDLE/RIGHT SIDE | CRYSTAL LAKE, ILL.
In a pair of 3-0 sweeps, Kleja Cerniauskaite put away 32 kills, hitting .393 for the week. The junior averaged 5.3 kills per set and added three digs and a pair of blocks. In Monday’s win, Cerniauskaite tallied a career-high 18 kills with a .394 attack percentage. She followed with 14 more kills in 28 swings in Tuesday’s sweep of the Golden Grizzlies.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK | MARIA ALFANO | RMU | SENIOR | MIDDLE BLOCKER | CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA.
Maria Alfano continued her strong stretch of play against IUPUI, helping RMU extend its winning streak to three matches. She was a force at the net on Monday, recording a season-high eight blocks (two solo) to make her the ninth player in program history with 300 total rejections in a career. Alfano added 11 kills on a .318 hitting percentage in that four-set victory, and on Senior Night, she converted at a .440 clip with a season-best 13 kills, tallying a solo block for a 14.0-point performance. The Cranberry Township, Pa. native has registered double-digit points in four straight matches and ranks sixth in the Horizon League in hitting percentage (.292) and blocks per set (0.98).
Spring 2021 Nike® #HLVB Players of the Week
January 28 – Patti Cesarini, Oakland & Paola Santiago, UIC
February 4 – Katie Crowe, Purdue Fort Wayne & Paola Santiago, UIC
February 11 – Miranda Wucherer, Northern Kentucky & Katie Crowe, Purdue Fort Wayne
February 18 – Hannah Greene, Cleveland State & Katie Crowe, Purdue Fort Wayne
February 25 – Anna Brinkmann, Northern Kentucky & Lindsay Wightman, Oakland
March 4 – Hannah Greene, Cleveland State & Alexandra Zakutney, Green Bay
March 11 – Anna Brinkmann, Northern Kentucky & Katie Crowe, Purdue Fort Wayne
March 18 – Kleja Cerniauskaite, Milwaukee & Maria Alfano, RMU