LEXINGTON, Ky. – James Madison’s Kennedy Louisell was named by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as the Division I Player of the Week after totaling 57 kills in a pair of matches and setting a new school record in the process.
 
In an honor that has been awarded weekly since 1993, Louisell's recognition is the first in the history of the James Madison volleyball program and the first from a non-autonomous conference in Division I women's volleyball this season.
 
Louisell, the national leader in total points (492) and total kills (455), hit .354 across 10 sets and tallied 57 kills in a pair of Sun Belt Conference wins. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native became the first Sun Belt student-athlete since 2003 to record 38 kills in a match, which also set a single-match kills record for James Madison. In the match, she also recorded 20 digs and became the only player in Division I women’s volleyball to record multiple matches with at least 35 kills and 20 digs this season.
 
For the second consecutive season, the Sun Belt has had an individual receive the national honor, as Louisell joins Georgia Southern’s Reagan Barth who earned the honor on Oct. 6, 2024. The James Madison junior becomes the sixth overall selection for the national award in the conference’s history.
 
Sun Belt Conference AVCA Division I National Player of the Week Honorees
Kennedy Louisell, James Madison, Oct. 28, 2025
Reagan Barth, Georgia Southern, Oct. 6, 2024
Emily DeWalt, Texas State, Oct. 2, 2018
Jordyn Skinner, Western Kentucky, Sept. 13, 2011
Ashley Adams, Middle Tennessee, Sept. 6, 2005
Amanda Schiff, Western Kentucky, Nov. 10, 2003