2022-23 Women's Volleyball Players of the Week
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Grace Parker, Randolph-Macon, Sr., Outside Hitter
October 31, 2022Parker, a senior from Andover, N.J., was at her prolific best in a 3-1 week for Randolph-Macon that included a 2-1 showing in a strong field at the Emory Invitational hosted by Emory University. Parker collected 78 kills (6.00/set) over the four matches with 28 digs (2.15/set), eight blocks, and five aces on the way to 87.5 points earned (6.7/set). She played just one set of the Yellow Jackets 3-0 win at Hollins, posting a trio of kills with three aces and a dig. Parker began her All-Tournament Team performance at Emory with 15 kills and seven digs in a 3-0 loss to nationally eighth-ranked Berry College. She accounted four 15 points in the match. She then registered 25 kills in a 3-1 win over Oglethorpe University, the first of two matches on the second day. She picked up 12 digs and posted a half-dozen block assists with an ace on the way to 29.0 points (7.3/set). Parker then posted her fourth 30-plus kill match of the season with 35 winners on a .303 attack percentage in a 3-2 victory over Birmingham-Southern to cap the regular season. The 35 kills are the second-most in NCAA Division III to her previous season-high of 36 strikes at Washington and Lee earlier this month. She added eight digs, two assists, two blocks, and an ace to account for 37.5 points (7.5/set), matching her season-high. For the year, Parker leads the ODAC in kills (495), kills per set (5.32), points (553.5), and points per set (6.0). She is second in total attacks (1,150) and sixth in attack percentage (.276). Her 495 digs are already fourth-most in ODAC history and second-most in the Randolph-Macon record books with at least one match in the ODAC Tournament still to be played. The ODAC record stands at 517 winners by Heather Cook from Roanoke College in 2004, while the R-MC record is owned by Courtney Lowers at 506 kills in 2015. -
Peyton Kirchner, Roanoke, So., Middle Blocker
October 24, 2022Kirchner, a sophomore from Williamsport, Md., was active both offensively and defensively from the middle of the front row in helping Roanoke to a 3-1 week. Kirchner registered three straight matches of 12 kills with attack percentages of at least .357 in all outings. She collected 43 total kills (3.31/set) at a .447 clip with 14 blocks, 12 digs, and 10 aces towards 61.0 total points (4.7/set) earned. Kirchner opened with 12 kills on a .417 attack percentage in a 3-0 loss at Salem College. She added an assist to her line in that match. She had 12 kills on 22 swings towards a .409 hitting clip in a 3-0 victory at Hollins. She added four aces, three digs, and one block to her effort. Kirchner registered 20.0 points in a 3-1 victory at Goucher. That included 12 kills on just 16 swings at a .625 attack pct. She produced eight blocks and seven digs to go with three aces. She again had three service winners in a 3-0 victory over Rutgers-Camden. She hammered seven kills at a .357 attack percentage with five more blocks, a pair of digs, and an assist. For the season, Kirchner leads the ODAC in hitting percentage (.343) and is third in assisted blocks (55), points (330.5), and points per set (3.8). Her 3.01 kills per set and 259 total winners rank seventh and eighth in the conference, respectively. She is fifth in total blocks (63), eighth in blocks per set (0.73), and ninth in aces (36).
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Sydney Heifner, Washington and Lee, Jr., Outside Hitter
October 17, 2022Heifner, a junior from Nashville, Tenn., picks up her first ODAC weekly award of the season after helping Washington and Lee to a 4-0 week that included a pair of ODAC victories. The Generals are 14-8 on the season and tied atop the conference table with Virginia Wesleyan University at 9-1. Heifner, the 2021 ODAC Player of the Year, registered 89 kills (4.68/set) to go with 55 digs (2.89/set), nine aces, and four blocks towards an even 100.0 points (5.3) over the four outings. She opened with 26 kills at a .351 attack percentage in a 3-2 win at Guilford. She added 15 digs and an ace along with two assists. Heifner then led W&L to a 3-2 win over Randolph-Macon. She collected 11 winners with 15 digs and two aces. On the week, Heifner opened two non-conference victories with 22 kills in a 3-2 triumph over the University of Scranton. She added 16 digs, two aces, and two blocks to her line. She capped the week with 14 kills and nine digs in a 3-1 win over Stevenson University. She chipped in four aces and two blocks. For the season, Heifner leads the ODAC in total attacks (1027) and is second in kills (328), points (367.5), and points per set (4.0), third in kills per set (3.57), sixth in digs (302), and 10th in digs per set (3.28).
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Sarah Marlowe, Averett, Jr., Outside Hitter
October 10, 2022Marlowe, a junior from Danville, Va., helped Averett to a pair of ODAC victories to stay in the mix near the top of the ODAC standings. The Cougars defeated Washington and Lee, 3-2, and Guilford, 3-0, with the win over W&L snapping the Generals 31-match ODAC regular season winning streak. Marlowe registered 32 kills at 4.0 per set and a .287 attack percentage. She chipped in four digs and six total blocks on the way to 35.5 points earned at 4.4 per frame. Marlowe registered 18 a match-high 18 kills against the Generals with a .375 attack percentage. She added a dig and two total blocks to account for 19.5 points. Against Guilford, Marlowe notched 14 kills on 40 swings with three digs and four blocks on the way to 16.0 points. For the season, Marlowe is sixth in the ODAC in kills (203) and eighth in kills per set (3.08) and attacks (504). She is ninth in points (220.0) and 10th in points per set (3.3).
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Grace Parker, Randolph-Macon, Sr., Outside Hitter
October 03, 2022Parker, a senior from Andover, N.J., was both prolific and efficient in three ODAC victories for Randolph-Macon last week, earning her a second conference weekly honor of the season. Parker's eye-opening numbers included two 30-plus kill matches, 88 total winners at 7.33 per set, a .379 attack percentage, and 93.0 total points earned at 7.8 per frame. Those numbers helped R-MC win on the road at Lynchburg, 3-1, and post back-to-back home wins over Ferrum, 3-0, and Roanoke, 3-2. Parker had 31 kills at Lynchburg, the most of any player in Division III in four-set matches this season. She notched those kills at a .355 attack percentage, adding nine digs, two blocks, and an ace to her line. Her 33.0 points earned are a season-high for ODAC players, as is her 8.3 points per set against the Hornets. Parker smashed 23 kills at a .487 clip in the Yellow Jackets win over Ferrum. She chipped in four digs and a block. Parker then matched R-MC's program record with 34 kills in R-MC's win over Roanoke. Those 34 winners are the most in Division III of any match length this year. They also tie for fourth-most in a match in conference history and are the most kills won by a league player since former R-MC two-time ODAC Player of the Year Courtney Lowers registered 34 kills in 2014. Parker posted a .338 attack percentage against Roanoke with four digs and two aces. She registered 36.5 points for the match, an ODAC season-high. Parker, who has registered at least 11 kills in each of 15 matches played this season, crossed 1,000 career kills against Lynchburg (1,072 as of 10/2/22). She currently leads the ODAC in kills (273), kills per set (4.96), points earned (306.5), and points per set (5.6). She is fourth in total attacks (607) and fifth in attack percentage (.295).
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Morgan Ludovici, Virginia Wesleyan, Jr., Outside Hitter
September 26, 2022Ludovici, a junior from Virginia Beach, Va., helped Virginia Wesleyan to a 2-1 week as Virginia Wesleyan opened ODAC play with 3-0 victories over Guilford and Averett following a 3-1 setback at Randolph-Macon. Ludovici registered 39 kills in 10 sets played and posted a .329 attack percentage over three matches. She collected 32 digs and six ace on the way to 45.0 points earned at 4.5 per set. Ludovici had a strong match at R-MC despite the loss to the Yellow Jackets as posted 14 kills at a .257 clip with 10 digs and two aces towards 16.0 points. In a weekend double with GC and AU, Ludovici opened with 13 kills at a .296 attack percentage against the Quakers. She added 15 digs and two aces. She had two more service winners to go with seven digs and 12 kills at a .500 attack percentage against the Cougars. For the season, Ludovici has racked up 188 kills (2.77/set) with 19 aces and 148 digs (2.85/set). She has accounted for 166.0 points earned (3.2/set).
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Grace Parker, Randolph-Macon, Sr., Outside Hitter
September 19, 2022Parker, a senior from Andover, N.J., picks up her first weekly award of the season after leading Randolph-Macon to a 4-0 week including a 3-0 showing at the Stevens Invitational. Parker hammered 57 kills at 4.38 per set and added 10 aces, 36 digs, and five blocks on the way to racking up 70.0 points at 5.4 gained per set. She opened the week with 11 kills, seven digs, three aces, and two blocks towards 15 points in a 3-0 win over Eastern Mennonite in the two squads' ODAC opener. In tournament play at Stevens Institute of Technology, Parker helped R-MC top the hosts, 3-0, with 15 kills at a .375 attack percentage and 15 digs with an ace and a block. In the first of two matches on day two, Parker hit .357 on the way to 12 kills with five digs and an ace in a 3-0 win over William Paterson. She accounted for 13 points against the Pioneers, but nearly doubled that in the final match of the tournament as she registered 19 kills with nine digs, five aces, and two blocks towards 25 points. Through nine total matches played, Parker leads the ODAC in kills per set (4.29) and points per set (5.0). She is second in points earned (154.5) and third in kills (133).
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Peyton Kirchner, Roanoke, So., Middle Hitter
September 12, 2022Kirchner, a sophomore from Williamsport, Md., was named MVP of the Maroons Classic after helping Roanoke to a 4-0 showing against non-conference competition. Kirchner registered 52 kills in 15 sets played, good for 3.47 winners per set. She posted a .424 overall attack percentage (52-13-92) to go with five aces, six digs, and eight blocks. She was responsible for 61.0 points earned for 4.1 per set. Kirchner started the tournament with a career-high 23 kills against just four errors on 40 swings for a .475 attack percentage in a 3-2 victory over Salem College. She added two digs, two blocks, and an ace to her line, helping her account for 25.0 points for the match. Kirchner finished the first day with 12 kills at a .381 clip with two aces, two digs, and two blocks in a 3-0 win over Methodist. On day two, the Maroons middle hitter opened with seven kills on a .357 attack percentage with four blocks in a 3-0 victory over N.C. Wesleyan. She capped her tournament with 10 kills on a .412 attack percentage with two aces and two digs in a 3-1 win over Mary Baldwin. For the season, Kirchner leads the ODAC in total points earned (130.0), is second in attack percentage (.377), third in total kills (103) and points earned per set (4.1), and sixth in kills per set (3.22).
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Abbey Clayton, Virginia Wesleyan, Fy., Outside Hitter
September 06, 2022Clayton, a first-year from North Chesterfield, Va., kicked off the start to her collegiate career with four consistently strong performances in helping lead Virginia Wesleyan to four non-conference wins to start the 2022 slate. Clayton registered 40 kills at 2.50 per set and a .279 overall attack percentage. She added six aces and nine total blocks to help account for 51.5 points earned at 3.2 per set. She was also strong away from net with 43 digs at 2.69 per set. Clayton notched seven kills at a .313 clip with four digs and five blocks in a 3-0 win over Greensboro, her first college outing. She then went for 13 kills against just two errors for the second straight match for a .314 attack percentage in a 3-2 win over Mary Washington. She contributed 16 digs defensively. On the second day of the Marlin Invitational, Clayton opened with nine kills and 12 digs to go with two aces and two blocks in a 3-1 victory over Pitt.-Bradford. She closed the weekend with 11 kills and 11 digs with three aces and two blocks in a 3-1 win over Southern Virginia.
