Sept. 6, 2010
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ---- Samford volleyball's senior setter Hillary Fountain has been named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for matches played the week of August 30 to September 5. This is the first Player of the Week nod for Fountain and the second for Samford this season.
"Hillary has been great so far this year leading by example by going hard all the time and being alert," Samford head coach Derek Schroeder said. "She has been the ideal senior example."
Fountain averaged 8.77 assists per set in the Bulldog Invitational presented by McDonald's last weekend. She posted her first double-double of the season against Tennessee Tech with 33 assists and 15 digs. Fountain also recorded 33 assists against Syracuse Saturday night. The Holland, Ohio, native helped lead the Bulldogs to a 3-2 record last week with wins over Troy, Northwestern State and Tennessee Tech. She was also named to the Bulldog Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Appalachian State's Alison Blasingame was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week. The junior middle blocker from Yorktown, Va., totaled a team-high 25 blocks, including five solo, in four matches the past week. In the midweek victory over East Tennessee State, Blasingame had two solo blocks along with seven block assists. In the weekend tournament, she recorded at least three block assists in every match, helping the Mountaineers defeat Eastern Kentucky and USC Upstate.
The SoCon's Freshman of the Week award went to Sarah McCarthy of Furman. The setter from Villa Park, Ill., leads the Paladins this season with 133 assists. McCarthy led Furman in assists with 15 against Alabama and 19 versus Toledo. In the Paladins victory over UAB, she had a team-high 26 digs.
Also nominated for Offensive Player of the Week were Appalachian State's Kelly Rhein, College of Charleston's Whitney Russell, The Citadel's Tatum Jestila, Davidson's Sarabeth Peele, Elon's Caroline Lemke, Furman's Kelly Kirby, Georgia Southern's Bethany Sanford, Chattanooga's Courtney Barnes, Western Carolina's Paloma Alvarez and Wofford's Catelyn Amende.
Nominated for Defensive Player of the Week were College of Charleston's Elyse Chubb, The Citadel's Jessica Maxwell, Davidson's Madison Bendict, Elon's Ali Deatsch, Furman's Elle Ross, Samford's Lauren Hutchinson, Chattanooga's Paula Passmore, Western Carolina's Carrie Minogue and Wofford's Reagan Styles.
Nominated for Freshmen of the Week were College of Charleston's Madelyn McGinnis, The Citadel's Erin Bucherl, Davidson's Caroline Brown, Samford's Taylor Palmer, Chattanooga's Jennifer Kuroski, Western Carolina's Kelcie Randazzo and Wofford's Amanda Liguori.
