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Illinois' VanMeter and Penn State's Walters Tabbed First Players of the Week of 2005
Aug. 29, 2005
PLAYER OF THE WEEK VanMeter earns her first career Big Ten Player of the Week honor after turning in one of the best offensive matches in Illinois history this past weekend. The Illini senior posted 39 kills on 79 attempts, both of which were ISU Redbird Arena records, for a percentage of .342. One of four unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, VanMeter etched her name in the Big Ten record books as her 39 kills ties for 10th all-time with Minnesota's Nicole Branagh (1999) and Ohio State's Vanessa Wouters (1996). VanMeter's 39 kills are the most by any Big Ten player since Ohio State's Stacey Gordon recorded 44 last season. In Illinois history, only Erin Borske's 44 and 41-kill performances in 1995 were better than VanMeter's. Last ILL POW: Jessica Belter (10/11/04) DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Walters again was a mainstay in the Nittany Lion backcourt, posting a match-high 22 digs against defending national champion Stanford in front of 10,028 fans at the AVCA/NACWAA College Volleyball Showcase last Friday. The following night versus No. 4 Hawaii in front of 10,576 fans, Walters' passing aided the Nittany Lions in attacking at a .344 clip. A rock defensively, Walters again recorded a match-high 17 digs, pushing her double-digit dig matches to 74 of the last 82 matches dating back to the 2002 season. For the weekend, Walters recorded 39 digs, an average of 4.88 digs per game and is just 234 digs shy of becoming Penn State's all-time career digs leader. Walters is the first conference student-athlete to ever receive Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Last PSU POW: Syndie Nadeau (11/29/04)
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