Player of the Week - September 21, 2009

Each Monday during the fall, one collegiate player originally reported as a recruit by AVSR is named AVSR Player of the Week for her cumulative performance during the current season.

Player of the Week:  Iva Partaleva

Freshman;  5' 10 1/2" LH;  Seminole State College (NJCAA).
Home:  Kiustendil, Bulgaria.
NCAA Eligibility:  Full qualifier.  Available to transfer in January 2010.

Last week:  Among the NJCAA national leaders this year in kills, aces, and hitting efficiency, Partaleva hit .491 (31 kills, 5 errors, 53 swings) and served 16 aces (1.6/set) in road wins over Vernon, Brookhaven, and Northeast Oklahoma.

Excerpt from original AVSR report:  "Powerful athlete, hard-charging competitor, and all-purpose player without elite training. .... Has a great range of physical, mental, and emotional talents for higher-level development. .... Has always played MB, but she has greater potential as a LH or RH.  Can be a six-rotation freshman starter at LH or RH in the top third of Division I. .... Plays an active, confident, determined game.  Off the court she's outgoing, poised, and energetic."  [August 2008]

See Iva Partaleva's bio at the Seminole State web site.

Special Mention:  Svenja Engelhardt, Natalia Tomaszewska

University of the Pacific.
Engelhardt:  Junior;  5' 11" LH;  Sinsheim, Germany.
Tomaszewska:  Senior;  6' 1" MB;  Marklowice, Poland.

Last week:  Both were named all-tournament as Pacific (10-1) swept Loyola Marymount, Nevada, and Cal State Bakersfield in straight sets at the Stockton Hilton Invitational.  Tomaszewska hit .594 (21 kills, 2 errors, 32 swings) and posted 9 blocks.  Engelhardt hit .357 (35 kills, 10 errors, 70 swings) and added 4 aces, 21 digs, and five blocks.

See Svenja Engelhardt's bio and Natalia Tomaszewska's bio at the Pacific web site.