For the second time this year, Rachel Widener, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College women's volleyball team, has been selected as the American Mideast Conference and NAIA Region IX Volleyball Player of the Week.
Widener, a 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter from Elyria, Ohio, led the Lady Cougars to a 2-0 record for the week of October 11-17 that included victories over two of the top four teams in the AMC. The former standout at Open Door Christian Academy began the week with a team-high 15 kills and 14 digs in a straight-game win over Ohio Dominican College. She closed out the week with 11 kills and 12 digs in a straight-game victory over Malone College, which was previously unbeaten in the conference.
For the week, Widener pounded 26 kills in 49 attempts with just two errors for an outstanding .490 attack percentage. She also posted two aces, three blocks, and 26 digs.
Widener currently leads MVNC with 317 digs and a .359 attack percentage for the season. She has also recorded 19 aces, 28 assists, 53 blocks, and 259 kills.
The Lady Cougars are currently 29-2 overall and ranked #24 in the latest NAIA national poll that was released on Tuesday. MVNC is also in first place in the AMC with an 11-0 conference mark.
The Lady Cougars will return to action on Thursday when the team will travel to Otterbein College for a non-conference match at 7:00 p.m. Then, MVNC will host the 1999 National Christian College Athletic Association East Region Tournament on Saturday. The Lady Cougars will face Malone at 11:00 a.m. and Geneva (PA) College at 3:00 p.m. Malone and Geneva will meet at 1:00 p.m.
