Player of the Week: March 18, 2013

Each Monday during the indoor and sand seasons, one player originally reported as a recruit by AVSR Global is named Player of the Week for an exceptional performance.

Sand Week #2: Jekaterina “Kate” Stepanova

Florida International University
6'2" Graduate Student
Reported in November 2007 by AVSR Global.
Home: Riga, Latvia
Indoor Position: Outside Hitter
See Kate Stepanova’s bio at the FIU web site.
See video clips of Kate Stepanova in 2007 as an AVSR Global recruit.

Last Week’s Action:

• Stepanova swept five matches in two days on Waikiki Beach, winning Hawaii’s tournament.
• Prepared for Hawaii by grabbing a mid-week victory at Long Beach State.
• Stepanova won All-America honors as a beach and indoor star at Florida State University, then transferred to FIU last fall. She led FSU to the Final Four in both sports as a senior.

Excerpt from original AVSR Global report (2007):

“Swift, light, dynamic athlete and an experienced, all-purpose LH. … Exceptional transition speed for a 6'2" athlete. … Recruitable to play LH or RH for a Top 20 Division I team. … As a beach player she placed 9th at the 2007 Under-21 World Championships.”

2013 Players of the Week - Sand Season

Week Name College Year Home
#1 Kiriana Hirini Alabama-Birmingham Soph. New Zealand
#2 Kate Stepanova Florida International U. Grad. Latvia

2012 Players of the Week

Click name for bio and Player of the Week report.

Player of the Year:Kelsie Wills, Hofstra University, LH, Soph., New Zealand
Team of the Year:University of North Florida, Atlantic Sun Conference
Week Name College Position Year Home
#1 Kelsie Wills Hofstra University LH So. N. Zealand
#2 Laine Cielena Barry University MB Fr. Latvia
#3 Anna Budinska Univ. of North Florida LH Jr. CzechRep.
#4 Eseta Maka College of S. Idaho MB So. N. Zealand
#5 Marta Machos Towson University RH Sr. Poland
#6 Sabina Piegza St. John’s University Setter Sr. Poland
#7 Jelena Jovanovic Florida Atlantic Univ. Setter Fr. Serbia
#8 Martyna Gluchowicz Cowley County C.C. RH/LH So. Poland
#9 Dagnija Medina Univ. of North Florida MB Sr. Latvia
#10 Katarina Bursac U.of Texas-Brownsville Setter Fr. Serbia
#11 AleksandraPetronijevic University of Memphis Libero So. Serbia
#12 Iva Partaleva Binghamton University LH Sr. Bulgaria
#13 Kelsie Wills Hofstra University LH So. N. Zealand
#14 Viktorija Jablonska Texas Woman’s Univ. RH/Set Sr. Latvia
#15 VladislavaKopanarova MidAmericaNazareneU. MB Jr. Bulgaria

2011 Players of the Week

Player of the Year:Jekaterina “Kate” Stepanova, Florida State Univ., LH, Sr., Latvia
Week Name College Position Yr. Home
#1 Kate Stepanova Florida State University LH Sr. Latvia
#2 Maryna Samoday Seminole State College LH/RH So. Ukraine
#3 Iva Partaleva Binghamton University LH Jr. Bulgaria
#4 Zuzana Markova U.of Louisiana-Monroe Set/OH Jr. CzechRep.
#5 Ingrida Zauere University of Houston LH Sr. Latvia
#6 Kelsie Wills Hofstra University LH Fr. N. Zealand
#7 Martyna Gluchowicz Cowley County C.C. RH/LH Fr. Poland
#8 Rachael Morgan Florida State University RH Sr. N. Zealand
#9 Paulina Piegza St. John’s University RH/MB Sr. Poland
#10 Elzbieta Klein Colby Comm. College LH So. Poland
#11 Kiriana Hirini Alabama-Birmingham MB Fr. N. Zealand
#12 Viktorija Jablonska Texas Woman’s Univ. RH/Set Jr. Latvia
#13 Martyna Gluchowicz Cowley County C.C. RH/LH Fr. Poland
#14 Aleksandra Petronijevic University of Memphis Libero Fr. Serbia
#15 Kate Stepanova Florida State University LH Sr. Latvia

2010 Players of the Week

Player of the Year:Svenja Engelhardt, University of the Pacific, LH, Sr., Germany
Week Name College Position Yr. Home
#1 Maija Strazdina Univ. of South Florida LH So. Latvia
#2 Tsvetelina Dureva Boston College LH/RH Jr. Bulgaria
#3 Izabela Kozon Middle Tennessee State LH Sr. Poland
#4 Viktorija Jablonska Frank Phillips College Set/RH So. Latvia
#5 Natasa Kolunija Troy University RH/LH Jr. Serbia
#6 Asia Stawicka Georgia Tech MB Jr. Poland
#7 Viktorija Teivane Western Wyoming C.C. RH Fr. Latvia
#8 Svenja Engelhardt University of the Pacific LH Sr. Germany
#9 Izabela Grot Tulane University LH/RH So. Poland
#10 Maryna Samoday Seminole State College LH Fr. Ukraine
#11 Monika Kasperek Dowling College MB Sr. Poland
#12 Aleksandra Nowak Kent State University Setter Fr. Poland
#13 Izabela Kozon Middle Tennessee State LH Sr. Poland
#14 Christine Bach University of Memphis Lib/Set Sr. Germany
#15 Rachael Morgan Florida State University RH/LH Jr. N. Zealand

2009 Players of the Week

Week Name College Position Yr. Home
#1 Asia Stawicka Georgia Tech MB So. Poland
#2 Dagnija Medina Univ. of North Florida MB Fr. Latvia
#3 Zuzana Markova Kent State University Set/RH Fr. Czech Rep.
#4 Iva Partaleva Seminole State College LH Fr. Bulgaria
#5 Sabina Piegza Western Nebraska C.C. Setter So. Poland
#6 Liva Brivule Kent State University MB Jr. Latvia
#7 Rachael Morgan Florida State University LH/RH So. N. Zealand
#8 Svenja Engelhardt University of the Pacific LH Jr. Germany
#9 Monika Kasperek Dowling College MB Jr. Poland
#10 Aleksandra Niemiec Jefferson College LH/RH Fr. Poland
#11 Aksiniya Slavcheva Frank Phillips College MB Fr. Bulgaria
#12 Svetlana Simic Long Island University LH Sr. Serbia
#13 Anzelika Lukjanska Frank Phillips College LH So. Latvia
#14 Rachael Morgan Florida State University LH/RH So. N. Zealand
#15 Izabela Kozon Middle Tennessee State LH Jr. Poland

2008 Players of the Week

Week Name College Position Yr. Home
#1 Paulina Piegza Western Nebraska C.C. MB Fr. Poland
#2 Ingrida Zauere University of Houston LH/RH Fr. Latvia
#3 Christine Bach University of Memphis Lib/Set Jr. Germany
#4 Izabela Kozon Middle Tennessee State LH So. Poland
#5 Kate Stepanova Mo. State - West Plains LH Fr. Latvia
#6 Svenja Engelhardt University of the Pacific LH So. Germany
#7 Jola Kelner Texas A&M University Setter Jr. Poland
#8 Julia Borecka Florida Southern College LH/RH Jr. Poland
#9 Svetlana Simic Long Island University LH Jr. Serbia
#10 Sabina Piegza Western Nebraska C.C. Setter Fr. Poland
#11 Natalia Tomaszewska University of the Pacific MB Jr. Poland
#12 Nataliya Panova University of Houston LH/RH Fr. Bulgaria
#13 Monika Kasperek Dowling College MB So. Poland
#14 Rachael Morgan Florida State University LH/RH Fr. N. Zealand