Rochester, Mn-
The Northern Division of MCAC Volleyball enjoyed a busy weekend with key matches that affected the playoff picture for several teams. When the dust settled, Central Lakes College remains unbeaten at 10-0 while a logjam is building in the middle of the standings, with several teams hovering around the .500 mark in Conference play. The top individual performances in the full weekend slate of games have been recognized as Players-of-the-Week in the Northern Division of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference.
Defensive Player-of-the-Week:
Hibbing Community College had one of their best weeks of the 2017 campaign, going 3-0 with Divisional triumphs over Rainy River Community College, Itasca Community College and Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College. A key part of the Cardinal success was middle hitter, Allie Knuti, a freshman from Mt. Iron, Minnesota. Knuti 39 kills over the course of the three wins and notched at least two solo blocks in each of the contests. Knuti leads the Division by averaging 1.20 Blocks-per-Set and her HCC teammates are now 8-2 in the MCAC North. They will face Mesabi Range College in a key match on Wednesday, October 11th at 6:30pm in Virgina, Mn.
Setter-of-the-Week:
The Raiders of Central Lakes College have been the most consistent Northern Division program in 2017, marching to a 10-0 Divisional record and a 16-5 overall mark so far this season. CLC picked up important wins this past week with two 3-0 shutouts over NCTC and Vermilion Community College; helping lead the way was Morgan Melby, a freshman from Badger, Mn. Melby had 36 assists, averaging 6.0 per set and had 8 ace serves in the two contests. Melby, coach Jane Peterson and the rest of the Central Lakes team head into this week with a match against Itasca Community College on Wednesday, October 11th, before traveling to North Dakota for the Lake Region State Slamfest Tournament.
Hitter-of-the-Week:
Chloe Kaufenberg has earned MCAC North Hitter-of-the-Week honors for her performance representing Mesabi Range College. Kaufenberg averaged 2.67 kills per set, with 6 kills against Vermilion Community College and 10 kills against Northland CTC. The sophomore from Babbit, Minnesota and her Lady Norse teammates will went 1-1 this past week and will see both Hibbing Community College and non-conference foe Gogebic Community College on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
All-Around Player-of-the-Week:
Central Lakes student-athlete Kayla Larson has been named the All-Around Player-of-the-Week in the MCAC Northern Division for MCAC Volleyball. The Isle, Minnesota native, had 18 kills and a hitting percentage of .571 and 9 blocks to lead the Raiders to a pair of 3-0 wins. CLC is in sole possession of first place in the Division, with a spotless 10-0 mark. Larson and her teammates will take on Itasca Community College midweek before traveling to Lake Region State in North Dakota for tournament action on the weekend.
Action photo courtesy of MRC Athletics
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.