Moon Township, Pa. – Middle blockers
Kristin Thompson and
Becky Jay of the
Robert Morris University volleyball team were recognized by the Northeast Conference (NEC) this afternoon as they respectively won Molten/NEC Player and Defensive Player of the Week.
Thompson claims the first NEC honor of her career after continuing her recent stretch of brilliance. In matches against Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart this weekend, the junior paced the team with 29 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, with a career-high 19 of those kills coming in Robert Morris' win against the Knights. Defensively, she collected 12 block assists, including seven in a victory versus the Pioneers.
In conference play Thompson has excelled, leading the NEC in hitting percentage (.455) and blocks per set (1.56). Her hitting percentage is .057 higher than second place, while her blocks per set number is 0.25 more than third place.
Jay earns the fifth Molten/NEC Defensive Player of the Week award of her career, but her first since Nov. 5, 2012. On the weekend, the senior collected 18 blocks (2 solo, 16 assist), good enough for an average of 2.57 per set. She passed Amanda Graham (2008-11) in the program record book for block assists with six against Fairleigh Dickinson, then moved up to third in total blocks after collecting a career-high 12 (2 solo, 10 assist) versus Sacred Heart.
Jay leads the NEC in blocks (54.0) and block assists (47), and trails Thompson in blocks per set (1.54) in conference matches. She also owns the two highest single-match block totals among her NEC foes this season, with the aforementioned 12 against the Pioneers and 11 (3 solo, 8 assist) at Central Connecticut State on Oct. 4, 2014.
Robert Morris returns home this weekend for matches against Central Connecticut State and Bryant. Opening serve for the meeting with the Blue Devils is set for Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1:00 p.m. from the Charles L. Sewall Center.
