Northwestern, Ohio State and Wisconsin Capture Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Awards

Co-Player of the Week

Temi Thomas-Ailara, Northwestern

Sr. – OH – Glenwood, Ill. – Marian Catholic – Major: Biomedical Engineering

• Averaged 5.69 points, 5.50 kills and 1.38 digs per set with a .320 hitting percentage last week, helping Northwestern defeat No. 12 Purdue and Iowa to post its first four-match conference winning streak since 2011

• Posted 25 kills and 10 digs on .327 hitting in the Wildcats’ Oct. 28 win over 12^th-ranked Purdue, tying for the second-most kills in a match by a Big Ten student-athlete this season

• Twice chosen for Academic All-Big Ten accolades (2020, 2021)

• Receives her third career Player of the Week citation and second in as many weeks

• Last Northwestern Player of the Week: Temi Thomas-Ailara (Oct. 24, 2022)

 

Co-Player of the Week

Sarah Franklin, Wisconsin

RS-So. – OH – Lake Worth, Fla. – Lake Worth Christian – Major: Civil Engineering

• Tallied 5.93 points, 5.57 kills, 2.00 digs and 0.57 blocks per set last week in pacing Wisconsin to victories over No. 1 Nebraska and No. 9 Minnesota

• Registered a match-high 21 kills on .381 hitting with six digs in the Oct. 26 win over top-ranked Nebraska, the Badgers’ third consecutive win against a No. 1 team and first in school history in the regular season

• Added a match-high 18 kills, eight digs and three blocks in the Oct. 29 victory over the No. 9 Golden Gophers

• Garnered Academic All-Big Ten status last year

• Captures her second career Player of the Week award, both in the past three weeks

• Last Wisconsin Player of the Week: Sarah Franklin (Oct. 17, 2022)

 

Defensive Player of the Week

Megan Miller, Northwestern

RS-Sr. – L – Alexandria, Ind. – Alexandria-Monroe – Major: Psychology

• Piled up 6.00 digs per set to anchor Northwestern’s defense in last week’s victories over No. 12 Purdue and Iowa

• Tied her career high with 30 digs in the five-set win over No. 12 Purdue on Oct. 28, also matching the second-most digs by a Big Ten student-athlete this season

• A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2019, 2021)

• Collects her second career Defensive Player of the Week honor

• Last Northwestern Defensive Player of the Week: Megan Miller (Oct. 3, 2022)

 

Setter of the Week

Mac Podraza, Ohio State

Sr. – Sunbury, Ohio – Big Walnut – Graduate…