By: Jeff Evans, Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – For the second time this season and third time in her career, Western Washington University senior outside hitter
Delaney Speer has been selected the GNAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week.
Speer (Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma HS) helped lead the Vikings to a pair of GNAC victories on the road, sweeping Saint Martin's on Thursday and earning a come-from-behind 3-2 win on Saturday over Western Oregon.
The senior recorded 42 kills in the pair of wins, averaging 5.25 kills per set on a .375 hitting percentage, and 3.75 digs per set the pair of double-double performances.
In WWU's five-set victory over Western Oregon on Saturday, Speer punched down a career-high 26 kills while completing a double-double with 18 digs. That came after she had 16 kills and zero errors on a .640 attack percentage, while adding a dozen digs in Thursday's win over Saint Martin's.
Speer now has 15 double-doubles this season including five in-a-row and 10 in her last 11 matches played. The GNAC preseason player of the year, Speer leads the GNAC with 4.10 kills per set and 4.72 points per set, while ranking sixth with 0.42 aces per set and ninth with 3.27 digs per set.
"Delaney has been steady and outstanding for us all season, but this past weekend she took it to another level with a consistency that I have only seen a few times in my career," said WWU Head Coach
Diane Flick-Williams. "Her offensive numbers tell part of the story, but she received a lot of serves, dug a ton of balls and made the little plays that aren't in the stat sheet. I am super proud of her."
This marks the second GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award for Speer this season (also Oct. 12-18) and third of her career.
The Vikings are 11-9 overall and in 5th place in the GNAC standings at 8-6 heading into the penultimate week of conference play. WWU hosts Seattle Pacific University on Thursday (7 pm) and Montana State Billings on Saturday (5 pm) on WECU Court in Carver Gym. Saturday will be Senior Night with Speer,
Emily Vossenkuhl,
Finnley Claeys and
Caroline Hansen celebrated prior to the match vs. the Yellowjackets.
