2021-22 Volleyball Players of the Week
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Grace Hayes, Bridgewater, Jr., Setter
November 01, 2021Hayes, a junior from Boone, N.C., was a strong engine for Bridgewater's offense in a pair of victories last week a key ODAC triumph with in the regular season finale. Hayes dished out 79 assists at 9.88 per set and chipped in 22 assists (2.75/set) with five kills, two aces, and two blocks. She registered 41 assists with 12 digs, three kills and an ace in a 3-2 non-conference win over Mary Washington. That victory marked the first win for BC over UMW since the 2013 campaign. Hayes then handed out 38 assists at 12.67 per set and helped Bridgewater's offense to a .333 team attack percentage in a crucial 3-0 victory at Eastern Mennonite. She added 10 digs, two kills, two blocks, and an ace as the Eagles secured the fourth seed and an important hosting opportunity in the quarterfinals of the upcoming ODAC Tournament. For the season, Hayes is third in the ODAC in assists (779) and fourth in assists per set (8.95). -
Sydney Heifner, Washington and Lee, So., Outside Hitter
October 25, 2021Heifner, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., picks up her third weekly award of the season after leading Washington and Lee to a 3-0 week that included a win over Randolph-Macon to take over sole possession of first place in the ODAC standings. Heifner collected 49 kills at 4.45 per set with 32 digs (2.91/set), seven blocks, four aces, and four assists over the three matches. She accounted for 56.5 points at 5.1 per set. Heifner led the Generals to a 3-2 win over Randolph-Macon during the midweek with a career-high 24 kills, the 10th-most in a single match in program history. She added 15 digs, two aces, and two blocks on the way to 27 total points at 5.4 per set. On the weekend, Heifner combined for 25 kills 29.5 points in 3-0 victories over Widener University and Cabrini University. She had 13 kills with 11 digs and three blocks against WU. She registered 12 kills with six digs, two blocks, and two aces against CU. The three wins improve to 21-5 overall and 10-0 in league play with one ODAC match remaining in the regular season. Heifner leads the ODAC in kills (323) and points earned (366.5). She is second in points per set (4.4) and is tied for second in kills per set (3.89).
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Sydney Koch, Randolph-Macon, Sr., Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker
October 18, 2021Koch, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., picks up her second weekly award of the season after leading Randolph-Macon to a trio of ODAC victories. The Yellow Jackets have now won 10 straight matches and remain unbeaten in ODAC play at 9-0, tied with Washington and Lee atop the league table.* Koch was both prolific and efficient offensively and provided her usual stout net defense in 11 sets of action. She collected 42 kills (3.82/set) at a blistering .552 attack percentage to go with nine blocks on the way to earning 46.5 points (4.2/set) over the three matches. Koch opened with 12 kills against just one error in a 3-0 victory over Eastern Mennonite. She hit .579 for the match and chipped in three blocks and three digs. She was even more efficient in a 3-0 victory at Ferrum. She hammered 17 winners with two errors at a .652 clip. She added four blocks to bring her total to 19 points earned at 6.3 per set. Koch capped her week with 13 winners and a .440 attack percentage in a 3-2 win at Roanoke. She blocked a pair of Maroons' attacks and handed out an assist. For the season, Koch leads the ODAC with a .380 attack percentage with 181 kills (9th) against just 36 errors in 382 attacks. She is eighth in kills per set (2.78) and points earned (210.0). She is ninth in assisted blocks (38) and 10th in points per set (3.2). *Randolph-Macon and Washington and Lee square off on Wednesday, 10/20, in Lexington.
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Abigail Mahoney, Virginia Wesleyan, Sr., Right Side
October 11, 2021Mahoney, a senior from Falls Church, Va., helped lead Virginia Wesleyan to a 3-1 week that feature a pair of ODAC victories and a split in a non-conference tri-match at Stevenson University. Mahoney, a right-sided player, registered 32 kills at 2.67 per set with a .357 attack percentage for the week. She also collected six aces and eight blocks over the four matches. She opened with eight kills at a .571 clip to go with three digs and an ace in a 3-0 victory at Eastern Mennonite. She added seven more kills with four digs and two blocks in a 3-0 win at Shenandoah University. In the first contest of the tri-match against Catholic University, Mahoney hammered nine winners at a .368 mark with five blocks, four aces, and three digs in a 3-0 triumph over the Cardinals. She capped her Saturday with eight kills and a .389 attack percentage with two digs, a block, and an ace in a 3-0 setback to the host Mustangs. For the season, Mahoney has collected 138 kills at 2.21 per set. She has account for 175.0 points at 2.7 per set, which was bolstered this week by 43.0 points at 3.6 per set.
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Grace Parker, Randolph-Macon, Jr., Outside Hitter
October 04, 2021Parker, a junior from Andover, N.J., registered two of her best matches of the season to help Randolph-Macon to a pair of five-set victories last week. Parker racked up 43 kills (4.30/set) at a .264 attack percentage with 22 digs (2.20/set) on the way to accounting for 47.5 points earned (4.8/set) in road wins at Bridgewater and Christopher Newport University. She posted a season-high 21 kills as the Yellow Jackets clawed back from two sets down at BC for a 3-2 win over the Eagles. She hit .278 for the match with nine digs, two aces, and block on the way to posting 23.5 points (4.7/set). Parker turned up the production in a 3-2 win over CNU the next day, resetting her career-high mark for kills with 22 winners at a .254 clip. She added 13 digs, an ace, and two blocks and was responsible for 24.0 points earned (4.8/set). For the season, Parker is sixth in the ODAC in kills per set (2.91) with 125 total kills. She averages 3.2 points per set, which is ninth in the conference.
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Paris Hutchinson, Eastern Mennonite, So., Opposite
September 27, 2021Hutchinson, a sophomore from Waynesboro, Va., helped power the Royals to a 2-1 week with both victories ending long ODAC losing streaks for Eastern Mennonite. The 2020-21 ODAC Rookie of the Year registered 39 total kills at 3.90 per set and hit .283 for the week on the way to collected 44.5 total points and 4.5 per set. She also picked up 29 digs (2.90/set), five blocks, and three aces. Hutchinson opened with nine kills while hitting .286 with five digs, an ace, and a block in a 3-0 setback to Christopher Newport University. She responded with 17 kills on a .483 attack percentage in a 3-0 victory over Roanoke in the first of two contests in a tri-match at Lynchburg. That victory marked the first for EMU over the Maroons since 2001. Hutchinson added eight digs and a block while collecting 5.8 points per set. She capped her weekend with 13 kills and 16 digs for her second double-double of the year in a 3-1 victory over Lynchburg. That triumph is the first for the Royals over the Hornets since 2002. Hutchinson tacked on two aces and three blocks to resumé. Eastern Mennonite is now 3-0 in ODAC play for the first time since 2001. Hutchinson leads the ODAC in points won per set (4.6) and ranks second in kills per set (4.00), sixth in total kills (136), and seventh in total points earned (157.0).
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Sydney Heifner, Washington and Lee, So., Outside Hitter
September 20, 2021Heifner, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., picks up her second weekly award of the season after helping Washington and Lee to a 3-1 week that included a 2-1 showing at the UMW Invitational hosted by Mary Washington. Heifner collected 57 kills at 3.80 per set with a .212 attack percentage to go along with 53 digs (3.53/set), seven aces, and eight total blocks. She opened with 13 kills, 14 digs, three aces, and three blocks in a 3-0 victory over Randolph to open ODAC play. She then helped the Generals start the UMW Invitational with a 3-0 win over Catholic with nine kills, 15 digs, three blocks, and an ace. In the first of two matches on Saturday, Heifner registered 15 kills with a .289 attack percentage in a 3-1 victory over Gettysburg. She added 15 digs, a block, and an ace to her line. She capped her week by tying a career-high with 20 kills in a 3-2 setback to the host Eagles. She posted nine digs, two aces, and a block. For the season, Heifner is second in the ODAC in total kills (154), kills per set (4.05), and total points earned (177.0). She is tied for third in points per set (4.7).
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Sydney Koch, Randolph-Macon, Sr., Middle/Outside
September 13, 2021Koch, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., shined against strong competition as she helped Randolph-Macon to a 2-1 showing at the Asics Invitational as part of a 3-1 week for the Yellow Jackets. She earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team along with teammate Leslie Currie. Koch hit .330 across the four matches covering 15 sets with 40 total kills (2.67 per set) and 10 blocks (0.67 per set) for 46.5 points at 3.1 per set. She opened with eight kills and two blocks in a 3-1 (25-19, 14-25, 25-19, 25-22) road victory at Meredith. Then, against nationally 14th-ranked Juniata and host of the Asics Invitational, Koch collected 11 kills with two more blocks as R-MC took the Eagles to four sets in a 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23) nailbiter. Koch did not commit an error in the final two matches of the tournament on Saturday. She hammered nine winners at a .692 clip with four blocks in a 3-0 (25-6, 25-15, 25-14) triumph over Franklin & Marshall, which was receiving votes towards last week's AVCA Division III Top-25 poll. She finished with 12 kills on a .444 attack percentage with six digs and two blocks in a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 25-14) win over Arcadia. For the season, Koch is third in the ODAC in hitting percentage (.366) on 49 kills against eight errors in 112 attacks.
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Sydney Heifner, Washington and Lee, So., Outside Hitter
September 07, 2021Heifner, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., helped Washington and Lee to victories in three of the squad's four wins last week as the Generals opened the fall season with a 4-1 mark against non-conference foes. Heifner hit .249 and average 5.0 points won per set as she racked up 62 total kills (4.43 per set) and 43 total digs (3.07 per set) to go along with six blocks and five aces towards 70.5 points earned. She opened with a career-best 20 kills on a .255 attack percentage with 14 digs and an ace in a 3-1 win over William Peace. She recorded 12 kills and nine digs with two blocks and two aces in a 3-0 win over N.C. Wesleyan and 13 kills and eight digs in a 3-0 setback to USA South #1 and future ODAC member Averett. Heifner capped her week with 17 kills, 12 digs, and three blocks in a 3-1 victory over William Peace.
