Mizzou's Crow & Munlyn Earn Week 13 SEC Honors
11/21/2016 11:58:00 AM | Volleyball
Crow earns Offensive Player of the Week, Munlyn tabbed Defensive Player of the Week
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Mizzou Volleyball redshirt junior Melanie Crow (Wildwood, Mo.) and sophomore Alyssa Munlyn (Suwanee, Ga.) garnered Week 13 Southeastern Conference Player of the Week accolades, as announced Monday by the SEC office.
Crow was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week, while Munlyn was the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Both Tigers were recognized by the league office following their outstanding two-match stretches from Nov. 14-20.
Mizzou went 2-0 this past week with victories over Auburn (Nov. 18) and No. 5 Florida (Nov. 20). Highlighted by their 3-2 win against the nationally ranked Gators, the Tigers moved back atop the latest SEC standings with only two regular season matches remaining.
Mizzou can claim a share of the 2016 SEC Championship with victories against Georgia (Nov. 23) and Tennessee (Nov. 26) later this week.
Monday afternoon's recognition marked Crow's fourth honor by the conference office this season and in her collegiate career. The Tiger outside hitter has now claimed three SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season, as she also garnered Week 8 and Week 11 awards.
Crow was sensational last week, exploding for 4.67 kills per set, .352 hitting percentage, 0.67 blocks per set and 5.33 points per set. She tallied 20-plus kills in each of the Tigers' matches against Auburn and No. 5 Florida with .340-plus hitting in each outing as well. Crow leads Mizzou with five 20-plus kill matches this season, including three occurrences in SEC play.
Her outstanding performance Sunday against the Gators moved her to 372 total kills and 445.0 points this year, marking new single-season career highs.
Monday afternoon's honor marked Munlyn's third recognition by the SEC office this year. Additionally, it's Munlyn's seventh career weekly honor from the conference, as she was named SEC Freshman of the Week four times in 2015 and previously won Week 9 overall SEC Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week awards earlier this season.
Munlyn had another strong overall week for Mizzou, playing a key role into its two SEC victories. She opened the weekend with nine kills (zero errors) on .500 hitting against Auburn. Two days later against No. 5 Florida, Munlyn earned a team-leading nine total blocks.
Her standout day on defense versus the Gators gave her 139 total blocks this season, ranking T-2nd most total blocks in a single season in Mizzou Volleyball history.
Mizzou (23-5, 14-2 SEC) is set for its final week of the 2016 regular season from Nov. 21-26. First, the Tigers travel to Georgia on Wednesday, Nov. 23, for a matchup against the Bulldogs. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) and the match will broadcast live on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.
The Tigers close their regular season on Saturday, Nov. 26, against Tennessee. Saturday evening will mark "Senior Night" at the Hearnes Center, as the program honors Emily Thater, Julia Towler, Carly Kan and Alexa Ethridge. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CT) and the match will broadcast live on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.
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