| 2006 Players of
the Week
MacKay again named
KCAC and Region IV “Libero of the Week”
For the second straight week
and third time this season, McPherson College junior Nikki MacKay
was named the KCAC and NAIA Region IV “Libero of the Week” as McPherson
split two matches during the KCAC tournament week, November 6-12,
2006.
 Nikki
picked up 41 digs for the week as Lady Bulldogs grabbed a 3-1 win
over Ottawa University in the tournament quarterfinals before falling
to eventual tournament champion Tabor in the semifinals.
Against Ottawa , MacKay came away with 23 digs and a perfect night
receiving and serving on 28 attempts and 17 serves, respectively.
In the semifinals, she added
18 digs against the hard hitting Bluejays with one service error
in 11 attempts.
“This is a great honor for
Nikki,” said McPherson head coach Nathalea Stephenson. “She has
been named KCAC Libero of the Week and Region IV Libero three times
this year.”
“Nikki has one goal in mind
and that is to pass or dig whatever type of ball the opponents send
over the net, and give the best possible pass to our setter.”
“She is a very intense player
and puts pressure on herself to be better each and every time she
steps on the court. To have a player with that kind of attitude
is a delight to coach. She will come into our up-coming matches
at regionals with the same kind of attitude, playing as hard as
she can, leaving everything on the court.”
At the conclusion of the
KCAC regular season, Mackay was named to the All-KCAC second team.
A 2004 graduate of Raymore-Peculiar
(Mo.) High School, MacKay was a first team All-KCAC and KCAC Libero
of the Year selection as a freshman before being named to the honorable
mention All-KCAC squad last year.
This week the Lady Bulldogs will open NAIA Region IV post-season
tournament play on Thursday when they travel to the Lied Fitness
Center on the campus of the College of Saint Mary in Omaha , Neb.
Standing 18-12 overall, McPherson has won 18 or more matches the
past four seasons, marking the best four-year span in the school's
volleyball history.
*****
MacKay
gains second KCAC and Region IV “Libero of the Week” honors
McPherson College junior
Nikki MacKay was named the KCAC and NAIA Region IV “Libero of the
Week” for the week of October 30 through November 5, 2006. This
marks the second time this season MacKay has swept the conference
and regional liberio honors.
Nikki
led the McPherson College backline as the Lady Bulldogs' went 2-0
during the week, picking up conference wins at the University of
Saint Mary and over Sterling College in the Bulldogs' regular season
finale.
MacKay opened the week's play with 30 digs and an ace serves in
the Bulldogs' 3-0 road win in Leavenworth on Tuesday.
On Thursday, she picked up 28 additional digs and two more ace serves.
MacKay finished the week with no serving errors and only one receiving
miscue as McPherson completed its regular season with a 17-11 overall
record, 13-5 in KCAC play.
MacKay's 30-dig match against
USM marked the third time this season she has reached the plateau
necessary for inclusion in the AVCA/NAIA 30 dig club.
“Nikki is very deserving
of this award,” said McPherson head coach Nathalea Stephenson. “She
has worked very hard to become a better digger and passer. To be
recognized both in the conference and regionally is really an honor
for not only her, but our team. Nikki is one of those players that
spends the extra time working on her skills, wanting to improve
each and every time she goes on the court.”
One of, if not the most
acrobatic player ever to wear the red and white for McPherson College
head coach Nathalea Stephenson, MacKay never hesitates to hit the
floor, sacrificing her body to get to shots.
A 2004 graduate of Raymore-Peculiar ( Mo. ) High School, MacKay
was a first team All-KCAC and KCAC Libero of the Year selection
as a freshman before being named to the honorable mention All-KCAC
squad last year.
*****
MacKay
named KCAC and Region IV “Libero of the Week”
McPherson College junior
Nikki MacKay was named the KCAC and NAIA Region IV “Libero of the
Week” for the week of October 9-15, 2006.
Nikki
keyed the McPherson backline as the Lady Bulldogs' went 3-1 during
the week, picking up conference wins at Southwestern College and
over Bethany College before falling to #6 regionally ranked Kansas
Tabor College.
MacKay opened the week's
play with 23 digs and two ace serves in the Bulldogs' 3-0 road win
at Southwestern on Monday.
On Wednesday, she picked
up 32 digs and had no receiving errors as McPherson turned back
Bethany , 3-1.
Nikki then concluded the
week with another perfect serving night, which included another
ace, finishing the week with zero errors in 46 service attempts.
She also picked up 18 digs to end the week with 73 digs in 10 games
for an average of 7.3 digs per game.
One of, if not the most acrobatic
player ever to wear the red and white for McPherson College head
coach Nathalea Stephenson, MacKay never hesitates to hit the floor,
sacrificing her body to get to shots.
“Nikki is very deserving
of this award,” said Stephenson. “She works very hard everyday in
practice on her passing and digging of the ball. Her goal is to
pick up every ball and give our setter the best possible pass so
that she in turn can get the ball to our hitters.”
“Nikki is very energetic,
is always moving, and reading the hitters. She does a great job
of seeing where the hitters are and moving to pick up the ball.”
“She has stepped in this
year and filled a spot that we needed, and is doing a fantastic
job for us.”
A 2004 graduate of Raymore-Peculiar
(Mo.) High School, MacKay was a first team All-KCAC and KCAC "Libero
of the Year" selection as a freshman before being named to
the honorable mention All-KCAC squad last year.
The Lady Bulldogs improved
their KCAC record last week to 10-3, 13-6 overall, maintaining their
hold on second place in the KCAC race and the #7 spot in the Region
IV rankings.
*****
Stephenson
named Region IV “Setter of the Week”
McPherson College 's Kendra
Stephenson was named NAIA Region IV “Setter of the Week”, for the
week of September 11-17, 2006.
Stephenson had previously
been named the KCAC “Setter of the Week”.
 Kendra
directed the McPherson attack as the Lady Bulldogs' went 2-0 during
the week, picking up 3-1 conference wins at Bethany College and
over #8 regionally ranked Kansas Wesleyan University . The wins
moved the Lady Bulldogs into the lead of KCAC title race as they
improved their record to 4-0 in KCAC play and 7-2 overall.
Kendra's all around skills
were evident as she totaled 95 assists, an average of 11.88 per
game, 18 digs, nine kills, three ace serves, one solo and four assisted
blocks in the two matches. Stephenson currently ranks second in
the KCAC in assists (10.45/g) and serving (0.65 aces/g, 97.56%).
“Kendra continues to be very
steady and consistent in her setting, giving our hitters the best
opportunity to be successful. She does a good job of being aware
of the defensive sets on the other side, and mixes up the sets,
which helps our hitters.”
“Kendra is very unselfish;
she works hard to make our team successful. The team's success is
her first priority, so any honors she might receive are especially
meaningful.”
“She is very deserving of
this award.”
A 2003 graduate of Salina
(Kan.) Central High School, Stephenson was a first team All-KCAC
and second team All-Region IV selection in 2005.
With the wins over Bethany
and KWU, the Lady Bulldogs moved up one place in the NAIA Region
IV rankings released on September 18th, now occupying the #8 spot.
*****
McPherson
duo named KCAC's Player & Setter of the Week
McPherson College 's senior
duo of Chandra Mayhan and Kendra Stephenson were named the KCAC's
“Player” and “Setter of the Week”, respectively, for the week of
September 11-17, 2006.
McPherson went 2-0 during
the week, picking up 3-1 conference wins over Bethany College and
#8 regionally ranked Kansas Wesleyan University . The wins moved
the Lady Bulldogs into the lead of KCAC title race as they improved
their record to 4-0 in KCAC play and 7-2 overall.
 Mayhan
, a 2003 graduate of Kit Carson (Colo.) High School, had
10 kills, two aces, and two assisted blocks in each match and finished
the week with a .340 hitting percentage. She dished off four assists
against Bethany and came up with 12 digs against Kansas Wesleyan
on her way to a triple-double, 10 kills, 12 digs, and 16 passes,
against the Lady Coyotes.
Chandra currently ranks 7
th in the KCAC in passing with a rate of 96.02%.
“Chandra is the type of person
that will go through a bench to save a ball,” said Nathalea Stephenson,
McPherson College head coach. “She can hit with either hand, just
to throw the blockers off. She sees the court very well and causes
problems for our opponents as she will push the ball to corners,
catching the defense off guard.”
“We were very excited that
she was able to get a triple-double in the KWU match. She is the
first player in the history of McPherson College volleyball to do
that. It shows that she is a hard worker and one that will do whatever
she needs to do for our team to be successful.”
“Chandra is a smart player;
she knows for our team to be successful, each player has a role
to fill. She has accepted her role and does it very well. She is
very deserving of this award.”
 Stephenson
, a 2003 graduate of Salina ( Kan. ) Central High School
, was a first team All-KCAC and second team All-Region IV selection
in 2005. In the Lady Bulldogs' wins over Bethany and Kansas Wesleyan,
her all around skills were evident as she totaled 95 assists, and
averaged of 11.88 per game, 18 digs, nine kills, three ace serves,
one solo and four assisted blocks. She currently ranks second in
the KCAC in assists (10.45/g) and serving (0.65 aces/g, 97.56%).
“Kendra is also that type
of person that will do whatever she needs to do to get the ball
to her hitters. Her main focus is giving our hitters the best possible
set so that they can be successful in their attack. She has been
very steady and consistent in her setting and mixing up the sets
which helps our hitters gain the respect they deserve.”
“Kendra is a very unselfish
person that works hard to make our team successful. She has done
a really good job of running the offense and seeing how the defense
sets up on the other side so that we can take advantage of our strengths.
She is very deserving of this award.”
With the wins over Bethany
and KWU, the Lady Bulldogs moved up one place in the NAIA Region
IV rankings released on September 18th, now occupying the #8 spot.
|
