| 2003 Players of
the Week
Alvarez named “KCAC Player of the Week”
 Erica Alvarez, McPherson College senior middle hitter from Brownsville, Texas, was named the KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) “Co-Player of the Week” for her play during the week of October 20-25. During the week, Alvarez led McPherson to KCAC wins over Sterling and Bethany plus a second place finish at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy tournament.
In last Monday’s match against Sterling, the 5’11” Alvarez set a school record with 19 kills as the Lady Bulldogs won 3-2 in five games, avenging an earlier four-game loss to the Warriors in Sterling. After helping the Bulldogs to their second, three-game sweep of intercounty rival Bethany College on Wednesday, Alvarez came up with another record setting performance in the Lady Bulldogs’ pool play win in the St. Louis College of Pharmacy invitational when she posted a school record seven blocks against the host College of Pharmacy. The Bulldogs’ five win, one loss week gave them eight wins in their last 10 matches and earned them a tie for fourth in the 2003 KCAC race. Now 16-7 on the season, the 2003 Bulldogs have now equaled the most wins in a season by a McPherson volleyball team since 1989.
Currently ranked fourth among KCAC spikers in kills per game (3.25 per game), Alvarez’s 289 total kills leads the conference as she had led McPherson to wins in 8 of its last 10 matches.
“Erica has really raised the level of her game in the last few matches,” said McPherson College head coach Nathalea Stephenson. “She has become a leader on the court, and has been setting records that will be around for a long time.”
“Erica is a very intense player that doesn’t like to lose. She has been working hard at cutting the ball, and being a better all-around player. She is aggressive at the net and loves to pound the ball.”
“When Erica graduates next spring, we will have a hard time replacing her front row play.”
A 2000 graduate of Rivera High School in Brownsville, Alvarez was named to the All-KCAC volleyball second team in 2002 after receiving All-KCAC basketball first team honors in 2001-2002 and honorable mention last season.
Erica is the daughter of Jesus and Amalia Alvarez of Brownsville, Texas. She is majoring in physical education at McPherson College, and plans to return to Texas and teach following her graduation.
Alvarez shared the “Player of the Week” honors with Emily Brogren of Sterling College.
Week’s game-by-game statistics: vs Sterling College (won 3-2): 19 kills (SR), 12 digs, 3 solo and 1 assisted block.; vs Bethany College (won 3-0): 12 kills, 12 digs, 1 assist, 4 solo and 1 assisted block, 2 ace serves.; vs Eureka College [NCAA D-III] (won 3-1): 13 kills, 2 assists, 11 digs, 6 solo and I assisted blocks, 4 ace serves.; vs St. Louis College of Pharmacy (won 3-0): 15 kills, 4 digs, 7 solo blocks (SR), 1 ace serve.; vs Haskell Indian Nations University (won 3-2): 14 kills, 14 digs, 1 solo and 1 assisted block, 1 ace serve; vs Westminster College [NCAA D-III] (lost 0-3): 3 kills, 8 digs, 1 assist, 1 solo block.
Stephenson Named “KCAC Setter of the Week”
 Kendra Stephenson, McPherson College freshman, was named KCAC “Co-Setter of the Week” for her play during the week of Sept 29 in the Lady Bulldogs’ wins over Ottawa University (3-1) and Central Christian College (3-1).
A 5-8 setter, Stephenson played in all eight of McPherson’s matches, and led McPherson with 54 assists, an average of 6.75 per game. Against Ottawa University, Stephenson had 27 assists, then followed with 19 against Central Christian.
Noting that Kendra’s assists against Central were well short of one of the freshman’s goals (30 assists per match), McPherson College head coach Nathalea Stephenson noted, “One of Kendra’s goals has been to get the ball to our hitters in a position where they can get a kill. She knows if they do, then she has done her job and we will be more successful as a team.”
Kendra is currently ranks seventh among KCAC setters, averaging 5.83 per game. She had four kills in 13 attempts from her backline spot during the week, including three against Ottawa, and picked up 12 digs.
Error-free in serving for the week, Stephenson posted three aces in the two matches. One of the Lady Bulldogs’ top servers, Kendra had set a school record with 167 consecutive serves without an error earlier this season.
“This is exciting to finally have a player be named as ‘Player of the Week,” said coach Stephenson. “Our team has been working very hard to achieve goals we have set, both individually and as a team.
“This is a nice honor, not only for her but our whole team. She knows that without her teammates she wouldn’t be able to do her job. Like all our girls, she prides herself in doing whatever she can to make her teammates and team the best they can be.”
The pair of Bulldog wins raised McPherson’s season record to 10-5, the most wins by McPherson for a season in the past decade.
A graduate of Salina Central High School, Kendra is the daughter of Tim and Nathalea Stephenson of Salina.
Stephenson shared the weekly honor with Andrea Moya of Kansas Wesleyan.
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