BUCCANEERS DOMINATE WEEKLY AWARDS
Buccaneer volleyball sweeps Region XIV Conference honors
After winning all four of their matches at the Applebee’s Classic, it was fitting that the top-ranked Blinn College volleyball team also swept the Region XIV Conference player of the week honors.
Freshman middle blocker Tawnee Luafalemana was named the league’s player of the week, sophomore Alyssa LaMont was named libero of the week and freshman Justus Tuiolosega was named setter of the week, the conference announced today.
Luafalemana posted 36 kills while committing just two errors, good for a .479 hitting percentage on the week. She added nine blocks, nine digs, five assists and eight aces. Hailing from Carson, Calif., the 6-foot freshman had a season-high 17 kills against Navarro, a match in which she hit .607 and finished with six blocks.
LaMont compiled 40 digs over the tournament, adding five assists and an ace. A product of Cypress Falls High School, she matched her season high with 13 digs against Navarro and is averaging a team-high 3.13 digs per set.
Tuiolosega dished out 70 assists and posted 21 digs on the weekend to earn setter of the week honors. A freshman from Moreno Valley, Calif., she posted a season-high 26 assists against Navarro and is averaging 5.52 assists per set this season.
The Buccaneers are ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA Division I poll and are off to an 8-0 start to the season, including wins over fifth-ranked Tyler and 12th-ranked Missouri State University – West Plains. They face Vernon College at 1 p.m. and Odessa College at 3 p.m. Friday at the Wrangler Classic in Odessa, then conclude the tournament Saturday with a 9 a.m. match against Coastal Bend College and a 1 p.m. tilt against Midland College.
(Story & photos courtesy, Richard Bray, Blinn Information)