DALLAS - Charlotte’s Emani’ Foster earned CLT Invitational MVP honors after averaging 5.14 kills per set in four matches, Rice’s Nia McCardell who averaged 4.18 digs per set at the Tigers Classic, WKU’s Callie Bauer who averaged 12 assists per set in three matches at the CEFCU Invitational, and UTEP’s Sara Pustahija who had 37.5 points in three matches at the Northwestern Tournament, earned the first 2022 Conference USA Volleyball Player of the Week honors of the season, presented by Blenders Eyewear.

Foster earned Offensive Player of the Week, McCardell was selected as Defensive Player of the Week, Bauer was named Setter of the Week and Pushtahija was the Freshman of the Week.

C-USA Offensive Player of the Week – Emani’ Foster, Charlotte, Jr., Henderson, N.C.
Foster was named the MVP of the CLT invitational after averaging 5.14 kills per set and had a .300 hitting percentage. She started with 15 kills in a sweep of Morgan State hitting .583 before adding 18 more in a second victory over the SoCon's preseason favorites Wofford later Friday night. On Saturday, she had 19 kills hitting .356, leading to a four-set win over Campbell before notching another match-high 20 kills in a sweep over Syracuse. Foster added 19 digs in addition to her 18 kills against Wofford and 10 more in the early Saturday contest against Campbell for a second double-double. For the weekend, Foster threw down 72 kills averaging 5.14/set hitting an even .300 on the weekend. The Junior from Henderson, North Carolina added 44 digs at 3.14/set and seven total blocks (four solo) registering 81.5 points.
 
C-USA Defensive Player of the Week – Nia McCardell, Rice, Jr., Missouri City, Texas
McCardell protected the back line of the Rice defense by recording 46 digs across 11 sets as the Owls went 3-0 at the LSU Tigers Classic. She averaged 4.1 digs per set and had double-digits digs in each match (12, 12 and 22). In a five-set match against LSU, the native of Missouri City, Texas, had a team-high 22 digs to help Rice secure the win. She also totaled a team-best six aces over the weekend.
 
C-USA Setter of the Week – Callie Bauer, WKU, R-Fr., Hudson, Mich.
Bauer helped lead the Hilltoppers to a perfect three game sweep to win the CEFCU Invitational. She racked up 108 total assists (12 assists per set) across the weekend, while she helped WKU offense to a collective .409 hitting clip. Saturday against Bradley, the Hudson, Michigan native had 39 assists, three kills, five digs, and three blocks.
 
C-USA Freshman of the Week – Sara Pustahija, UTEP, Fr., Belgrade, Serbia
Pustahija's dynamic play was influential in the Miners' success and in a pair of comeback victories at the Northwestern Tournament over the weekend. She used an all-around game with 37.5 points scored, 26 kills (2.0 per set), three block assists and three solo for 10 blocks. The native of Belgrade, Serbia, was second on the Miners with 26 kills and a total of five aces.
 
2022 C-USA Offensive Players of the Week
A29        Emani’ Foster, Charlotte  

2022 C-USA Defensive Players of the Week
A29        Nia McCardell, Rice
 
2022 C-USA Setters of the Week
A29        Callie Bauer, WKU
 
2022 C-USA Freshmen of the Week
A29        Sara Pustahija, UTEP