DALLAS – WKU’s
Faith Young, Liberty’s
Laney Daniell, Missouri State’s
Hannah Gardner and NM State’s
Paige Nelson earned the Conference USA Volleyball Player of the Week honors.
CUSA Offensive Player of the Week – Faith Young, WKU – Jr. – MB – Harrison, Ohio
Young totaled 26 kills, two aces, 10 blocks, and five digs while operating at a .396 clip in two wins at FIU over the weekend. She led WKU offensively in both matches, logging a match-high 16 kills on a .519 clip with three digs and seven blocks in a come-from-behind five-set win on Friday. She followed that performance with 10 kills, two aces, two digs and three blocks in a 3-0 sweep on Saturday. She also leads CUSA in hitting percentage with .426.
CUSA Defensive Player of the Week – Laney Daniell, Liberty – So. – MB – Kennesaw, Ga.
Daniell had a successful homecoming, as the Kennesaw, Ga., native helped Liberty post a 1-1 record at Kennesaw State during which the Lady Flames held the Owls to a .190 hitting percentage. For the weekend, Daniell factored in on 75 percent of Liberty's total blocks, posting 12 block assists for a 1.71 blocks per set average. She also contributed on offense, averaging 2.57 kills per set at a .467 pace. On Friday, Daniell assisted on five out of Liberty's six blocks as a team, while also scoring seven kills at a .333 pace. During Saturday's 3-1 win over KSU, Daniell tied her career high with seven blocks, as Liberty held the Owls to a .184 hitting percentage for the match. She also scored 11 kills at a .556 clip.
CUSA Setter of the Week – Hannah Gardner, Missouri State – So. – S/OPP – Springfield, Mo.
Gardner averaged 2.00 kills, 5.50 assists, 2.88 digs and 0.75 blocks in two matches against MTSU. She tallied her fourth triple-double of the season on Friday with 10 kills on a .280 hitting clip, 25 assists 17 digs, while adding four blocks as well. The sophomore moved her career total to six triple-doubles, the most for a Missouri State player in the rally scoring era. She hit .500 with six kills, 17 assists and six digs on Saturday. Her .500 hitting clip helped Mo State to a .463 attack efficiency as a team, the third-highest mark in program history and best since 1995. MSU's .463 efficiency is also the highest by a CUSA team this season
CUSA Freshman of the Week – Paige Nelson, NM State – S – Pleasanton, Calif.
Nelson led NM State with 47 assists, averaging 5.88 assists per set over the two-match series with Delaware. She directed an Aggie offense that totaled 109 kills and hit an impressive .323 as a team on the weekend. Nelson recorded assists on 45 percent of NM State's kills during the Aggies 1-1 week. The freshman quarterbacked an offense that out-hit Delaware .323 to .248 across the two-match series.
2026 CUSA Offensive Players of the Week
A31 Laney Daniell, Liberty
S7 Ashley Herman, NM State
S14 Jenna Otts, Liberty
S21 Sophia Henry, MTSU
S28 Kaira Knox, WKU
O5 Michaela Dlouhá, MTSU
O12 Sophia Henry, MTSU
O19 Jillian Huckabey, FIU
O26 Paige Overcash, Liberty
N2 Faith Young, WKU
2026 CUSA Defensive Players of the Week
A31 Michaela Dlouhá, MTSU
S7 Brooke Eslinger, Missouri State
S14 Tayler Baron, WKU
S21 Alison Bierwagen, Liberty
S28 Chelsea Butler, Sam Houston
O5 Olivia Burrage, Kennesaw State
O12 Michaela Dlouhá, MTSU
O19 Marta Lazzarin, FIU
O26 Melis Ural, Liberty
N2 Laney Daniell, Liberty
2026 CUSA Setters of the Week
A31 Kate Rush, WKU
S7 Kate Rush, WKU
S14 Hannah Gardner, Missouri State
S21 Brenlin Garlitz & Lauren Pyle, Sam Houston
S28 Kate Rush, WKU
O5 Alison Bierwagen & Charli Crowson, Liberty
O12 Kate Rush, WKU
O19 Kate Rush, WKU
O26 Alison Bierwagen & Charli Crowson, Liberty
N2 Hannah Gardner, Missouri State
2026 CUSA Freshmen of the Week
A31 Marianne Garcia, MTSU
S7 Alexis Sowers, Kennesaw State
S14 Lana Sesar, FIU
S21 Halle Rillie, Missouri State
S28 Eliza McKnight, WKU
O5 Eliza McKnight, WKU
O12 Hunter Cook, Kennesaw State
O19 Faith Roulston, Sam Houston
O26 Jaslyn Reed, MTSU
N2 Paige Nelson, NM State