CANTON, Ga. – Centre and Southwestern place two new faces into the Volleyball Athlete of the Week archive after big performances this past week.
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Athletes of the Week
Offense:
Kendra Christopher | Centre | SO | Danville, KY – Kendra Christopher had another huge weekend for Centre volleyball to help the no. 14 Colonels go 3-0 in conference play this week. Against no. 9 Berry on Friday, Christopher hit .280 for a game high 18 kills to lead Centre to a marathon five-set victory. For the weekend, Christopher had 31 kills in three matches for a combined hitting percentage of .321 as the Colonels surged to a tie atop the SAA standings.
Defense:
Tatum Ahrens | Southwestern | SO | Austin, TX – Tatum Ahrens had a strong defensive performance this past week while helping lead the Pirates to a 3-0 week. The sophomore had three matches with 12+ digs, recording a season-high 20 against Millsaps, 19 versus Schreiner and 12 against Rhodes. Ahrens tallied 51 digs over her three matches and posted a .983 reception percentage. She registered five blocks, with two against both Rhodes and Schreiner. She also added 26 kills on offense.
Notable Performances
Offense
- Ava Brovet | Berry | SO | Raleigh, N.C. – Brovet continued her excellent play last week for the Vikings, helping them go 3-1 in four games. She had two games of 40+ assists, finishing with 41 against Covenant and 45 against #14 Centre, and finished the week with 126 total assists in 13 sets. She currently ranks second in the SAA in total assists (484) and assists per set (9.49).
- Zoë LaCaze | Millsaps | JR | Prairieville, LA – Millsaps volleyball junior middle hitter Zoë LaCaze had a great weekend, helping the Majors defeat No. 7 Trinity before narrowly falling to Southwestern in four sets. LaCaze posted a .404 hitting percentage with 21 kills, only two errors on 47 attacks. She added eight blocks, two aces, and eight digs.
- Suna Merkler | Sewanee | JR | Chapel Hill, N.C. – Suna Merkler was instrumental in Sewanee’s 2-1 conference weekend, totaling 35 kills, 5 aces, 13 digs, and 4 block assists while hitting .261 across three matches. She recorded 13 kills in a five-set win over Maryville, led the team with 10 kills against Berry, and finished the weekend with 12 kills on a .400 hitting percentage and three aces in a four-set victory over Oglethorpe.
Defense
- Andrea Hurt | Berry | SR | Columbus, GA – Senior Libero Andrea Hurt led the Vikings defensively going 3-1 on the week. Andrea contributed an SAA-high 76 digs (5.1 digs/set), including a season-high 31 digs against #14 Centre. Andrea added two aces and five assists. Andrea now ranks first in the SAA for digs/set against SAA opponents.
- Sandy Bourgeois | Millsaps | SR | Luling, LA – Millaps volleyball senior libero Sandy Bourgeois helped the Majors defeat No. 7 Trinity with defensive efforts before narrowly falling to Southwestern in four sets. Bourgeois totaled 44 digs, eight assists and one dig. Her weekend was highlighted by 28 digs and six assists against the Tigers.
2026 Volleyball Report Archive (AOW Offense/Defense)
Week One - Sept. 8: (Lauren McCarthy, Trinity/Cali Armstead, Berry)
Week Two - Sept. 14: (Lily Long, Trinity/Sandy Bourgeois, Millsaps)
Week Three - Sept. 21: (Lily Long, Trinity/Annabelle Lanik, Trinity)
Week Four - Sept. 28: (Madie Whitehead, Berry/Andrea Hurt, Berry)
Week Five - Oct. 5: (Kendra Christopher, Centre/Tatum Ahrens, Southwestern)
Week Six - Oct. 12: (
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