NEW ORLEANS – Texas State’s Samantha Wunsch, Georgia Southern’s Ashlyn Lovett and App State’s Addison Heidemann each turned in impressive performances to lead in various statistics across the league. They have been named Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Players of the Week.
Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Samantha Wunsch, Texas State
(R-So., OH, Austin, Texas)
Texas State redshirt sophomore outside hitter Samantha Wunsch tallied a conference-best 4.78 kills per set as she totaled 43 over the weekend. She had double-digit kills in all three of the Bobcats matches this week while she hit .417 with 43 kills on 84 attacks with just eight errors. She led the conference in points per set with 5.11, being the only player to have over five points per set. Wunsch was also the only Sun Belt player to hit over .400 this weekend with 35+ attacks and to have more than 40 kills in less than 10 sets played. Additionally, Wunsch had a career-best .556 attack percentage versus UTRGV where she hit 12-2-18 in the Bobcats 3-0 win over the Vaqueros.
Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Ashlyn Lovett, Georgia Southern
(Sr., L, Shawnee, Kan.)
Georgia Southern senior libero Ashlyn Lovett won her third weekly honor of the season after being named to the Bash in the Boro all-tournament team by averaging 7.00 digs per set in the three games. She recorded 63 digs and just four receiving errors (.920 rec%), including 30 in three sets against Western Carolina on Saturday. Lovett, at the forefront of the team leading the conference in digs per set, became just the second player to record 30 or more digs in a three-set match, joining herself a week ago. Lovett is currently first in the conference and second in the country in digs per set at 5.97.
Volleyball Setter of the Week
Addison Heidemann, App State
(R-Jr., S, Diller, Neb.)
App State redshirt junior setter Addison Heidemann totaled 93 assists and helped the Mountaineers to a .329 team hitting percentage on the weekend as the they split their matches at the Wake Forest Invitational. Against Wake Forest on Friday, Heidemann recorded 44 assists and 11 digs for a double-double in addition to two blocks. In the Mountaineers’ 3-1 victory over Davidson on Saturday, the Diller, Neb. native tallied 49 assists, seven digs, and a block. Heidemann helped the Mountaineers to a team hitting percentage of .423 against the Wildcats. She led the league in assists per set for the week at 11.63.
2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Tori Hester, Troy
Week 2 – Jillian Gray, Georgia Southern
Week 3 – Amiah Butler, Troy
Week 4 – Samantha Wunsch, Texas State
2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Ashlyn Lovett, Georgia Southern
Week 2 – Sarah Martinez, Arkansas State
Week 3 – Ashlyn Lovett, Georgia Southern
Week 4 – Ashlyn Lovett, Georgia Southern
2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Setters of the Week
Week 1 – Brynn Brown, Marshall
Week 2 – Kirsten Barrett, Georgia Southern
Week 3 – Kirsten Barrett, Georgia Southern
Week 4 – Addison Heidemann, App State