DALLAS, Texas – Conference USA announced its Players of the Week for Week Eight with three different Hilltoppers earning accolades.
Outside hitter Alivia Skidmore, libero Tayler Baron, and setter Callie Bauer earned Offensive Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and Setter of the Week, respectively.
Bauer led the Hilltoppers to their 100th-straight regular season conference match win as she finished with 96 assists and an average of 12.00 assists per set. During her eight sets of game play, she grabbed seven kills, two blocks--including one solo block—and a service ace. She's ranked second in CUSA in assists per set at 9.56 and second in total assists with 631. Bauer's also guided WKU to a conference-best hitting percentage of .304, the only .300+ hitting clip in the league. In addition, WKU is also first in kills at 14.47 per set.
Monday's announcement marks the third-straight Setter of the Week award for Bauer and the fifth in eight weeks of conference play.
Baron earned her first Defensive Player of the Week award after helping the Hilltoppers secure the sweep of the Bearkats thanks to an average of 5.25 digs per set across eight sets. She finished the weekend with a total of 42 digs and seven assists. She had two 20+ dig performances with 20 on Friday and 22 on Saturday, and Baron is currently ranked fifth in CUSA in digs per set (3.73) and sixth in total digs (250).
Last but certainly not least was Skidmore whose Offensive Player of the Week award marks the first offensive selection for WKU this season. The sophomore absolutely erupted over the weekend for a total of 35 kills, including a career-high 20 on Friday against the Bearkats. Her 35 total kills also produced a staggering .406 hitting percentage with her match-best coming on Friday with a .425. She also collected three blocks and 11 digs and is currently ranked fifth in kills per set at 3.51 and eighth in total kills at 259.
WKU continues conference play against UTEP on Oct. 24-25 at Diddle Arena. First serve on the 24th is set for 6 p.m. CT.
