Before crowing a LOVB Classic champion this weekend, two League One Volleyball athletes earned weekly honors for their performances in last week’s matches.
Offensive Player of the Week: Tessa Grubbs, LOVB Atlanta
LOVB Atlanta opposite hitter Tessa Grubbs was dominant at Weekend with LOVB where she landed 36 kills on a .410 hitting efficiency in two matches. Against LOVB Salt Lake February 7, she hit .486, landed 23 kills and scored on a whopping 66.7% of her swings. The Tega Cay, South Carolina, native helped Atlanta win twice to extend their win streak to six games and clinch the top seed at this week’s LOVB Classic.
On the year, Tessa is averaging 4.05 kills per frame, tied for third-best in the league. Her 85 total kills is fifth-best, and she’s third with 100 points.
Defensive Player of the Week: Madi Rishel, LOVB Houston
The reigning Defensive Player of the Week, Madi Rishel improved on her week four performance last Wednesday with 21 digs in four sets as LOVB Houston beat LOVB Austin in Austin. The outside hitter dug up 84% of the balls hit in her area and was also a force on offense, scoring 19 points and hitting .316 as Houston won its fourth match of the year.
Madi leads the league by averaging 5.00 digs per set this season, and she’s tied for the lead in total digs (90) with LOVB Salt Lake libero Manami Kojima.
Regular season play pauses this week as all six teams travel to Kansas City, Missouri, for the LOVB Classic February 14-16, an in-season tournament that runs alongside the nation’s premier junior tournament, Triple Crown NIT. Tessa and LOVB Atlanta are the LOVB Classic’s top seed and will begin play in the semifinals while Madi and LOVB Houston, the No. 3 seed, face LOVB Madison in the quarterfinals on Friday, February 14.
Previous LOVB Players of the Week
Week Four
Offensive Player of the Week: Skylar Fields, LOVB Salt Lake
Defensive Player of the Week: Madi Rishel, LOVB Houston
Week Three
Offensive Player of the Week: Skylar Fields, LOVB Salt Lake
Defensive Player of the Week: Piyanut Pannoy, LOVB Atlanta
Week Two
Offensive Player of the Week: Micha Hancock, LOVB Houston
Defensive Player of the Week: Justine Wong-Orantes, LOVB Omaha
Week One
Offensive Player of the Week: Jaali Winters, LOVB Omaha
Defensive Player of the Week: Manami Kojima, LOVB Salt Lake
