FARMINGTON, Utah (October 11, 2021) – After leading both of their teams to undefeated records this past week, Weber State's Dani Nay and Portland State's Ellie Snook have received #BigSkyVB weekly honors. Nay was named the offensive player of the week, while Snook was honored as the defensive player of the week, her second this season.
Offensive Player of the Week – Dani Nay, Weber State
Nay helped the Wildcats gain sole possession of first place in the conference standings as Weber State defeated Northern Colorado in a 3-0 sweep.
Against the previously undefeated Northern Colorado Bears, Dani put on a show with 10 kills in just three sets and hit a .375 mark which paced the team's .321 hitting performance.
While the totals might not be impressive because Weber State swept both opponents it played this week, Nay stood out offensively. She led the team in total kills with 18 for an average of 3.0 kills per set while hitting a staggering .326 in two matches this weekend.
She also showed why she's one of the best servers in the country, adding two more aces to her season tally.
Others Nominated: Kalani Hayes, Sacramento State; Sage Brustad, Eastern Washington; Parker Webb, Portland State; Kira Thomsen, Montana State; Lauren Strain, Northern Colorado; Paige Clark, Montana; Nicole Ball, Idaho
Defensive Player of the Week – Ellie Snook, Portland State
Snook led the Portland State defense this week to two victories over Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.
Against SUU on Thursday, Snook had 17 digs in the Vikings' three-set sweep of Southern Utah.
Snook has a knack for playing her best when the Vikings need her the most. She did it again Saturday, recording 11 of her match-high 25 digs in the crucial third set of the Vikings' 3-1, comeback win over Northern Arizona. Snook's big set helped the Vikings overcome a first-set loss to beat the Lumberjacks for only the third time in their past 17 meetings.
Snook's 11 digs in the third set helped the Vikings overcame an early, 12-6 deficit to take a critical 2-1 lead in the match. The Vikings held NAU to only .151 hitting in the third set thanks to Snook, after NAU had hit .226 and .333 in the first two sets, respectively.
Snook and the Vikings followed by holding NAU to a .125 hitting percentage with only nine kills in the fourth set, as they closed out the win.
Snook averaged 6.00 digs per set in both matches over the weekend. That increased her conference-leading digs-per-set average to 5.42 for the season and places her eighth nationally in that category.
Others Nominated: Michelle Taynton, Sacramento State; Makenna Collins, Eastern Washington; Millie O'Ketter, Northern Arizona; Kira Thomsen, Montana State; Makayla Sorensen, Weber State; Kyndall Feather, Northern Colorado; Sarina Moreno, Montana; Nicole Ball, Idaho