Two Eagles Bring Home Weekly PL Volleyball Awards

Oct. 29, 2007

WASHINGTON - After a perfect 2-0 week and a sweep of conference rival Navy, junior Christina Nash and freshman Cassandra Ricketts were named the Patriot League/Baden Player of the Week and Patriot League/Baden Rookie of the Week, conference officials announced Monday. Both players put up career numbers in Wednesday night's defeat of Morgan State and helped the first-place Eagles to their 10th PL win on Friday.

In Wednesday night's match, Nash set a new career high with 64 assists and notched her fourth double-double of the year with 11 digs. The setter spread the ball evenly between her teammates as four Eagles recorded double digit kills in the match. Nash also recorded a season high seven kills against the Bears on nine attempts for a .778 hitting percentage and blocked three balls. In Friday night's win over Navy, Nash dished out 32 Eagle assists en route to a 3-0 victory. The junior also notched five kills and a .500 percentage and was credited with two block assists in the win.

Ricketts recorded a new career high with 18 kills against Morgan State and was the second leading attacker on the team. The freshman's 34 attempts in four games were also a new career high and she finished the match with a .382 hitting percentage. Against conference rival Navy, Ricketts helped her team to a 3-0 shutout by hitting .333 with seven kills and also notching two block assists.

This is Nash's first career weekly award from the PL and the first time this season that Player of the Week honors has gone to a setter. Ricketts had previously been named the Rookie of the Week after the season's first weekend.

Nash and Ricketts will be back in action Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. when AU plays host to the New Jersey Institute of Technology. This will be just the second to last home match for American this year as it looks to improve upon its 13-1 record inside the friendly confines of Bender Arena.