Player of the Week:  September 8, 2014

Each week 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.

2014 Week #2:  Stacey Niao

Illinois State University
Reported to subscribers in 2010 by AVSR Global.
Home:  Kawerau, New Zealand.
Senior, 5'11" Outside Hitter.
See Stacey Niao’s bio at the ISU website.

Last Week’s Action:

• Niao was a six-rotation leader at the University of Missouri’s Tiger Invitational.  She scored 47 kills, 46 digs and nine blocks.  ISU beat Oakland and fell to Missouri, Xavier and Lipscomb.
• It’s Niao’s third year as a starter and one of ISU’s most steady and versatile players.
• Niao was a boxer for six years, starting at age nine.  She also competed in netball, the top sport among women in New Zealand.

Excerpt from 2010 AVSR Global report:

“A former boxer and an explosive attacker, Stacey combines a strong, quick body with a bold mentality and a natural ease on the court.  Her rural location has limited her development, but she’s a solid bet to improve rapidly with collegiate training.”

Other Notables Last Week

Erika Gelzinyte

Columbus State University, Sophomore, 6'0" Outside/Opposite Hitter.
Reported to subscribers in 2011 by AVSR Global.
Home:  Šiauliai, Lithuania.
Last Week:  Gelzinyte earned all-tourney honors at the Newberry Invitational.  In four matches she scored 52 kills at .258 efficiency, served 10 aces, and picked up 33 digs.

Aleksandra Petronijevic

University of Memphis, Senior, 5'4" Libero.
Reported to subscribers in 2009 by AVSR Global.
Home:  Belgrade, Serbia.
Last Week:  Petronijevic scored 72 digs in three matches as Memphis beat Tennessee-Martin and lost to Mississippi and Arkansas State.  She’s averaging 5.54 digs per set this year.