Brown, Oliver Sweep MAC Weekly Awards

The Mid-American Conference announced its weekly volleyball award winners today, with Western Michigan's Jessica Brown and Lena Oliver earning MAC West Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. The win is the second of the season for Brown and the fifth for Oliver.

The wins come on the heels of an impressive display for the Broncos, who defeated both Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan in 3-0 sweeps over the weekend. The Broncos improved their record to 16-9 overall and 9-3 in the MAC, officially clinching their spot in the 2012 MAC Tournament and giving them a two-match lead in the MAC West standings.

Brown was the key offensive factor in the Broncos' 2-0 weekend, recording match-highs in kills against both the Chippewas and Eagles with 12 and 15, respectively.  She hit .476 against the Chippewas on Friday, committing just two errors on 21 swings, and also contributed a match-high six blocks, as well as five digs.  Brown would be even sharper on Saturday against the Eagles, recording her 15 kills on 27 swings with just two errors for a .481 hitting percentage.  Brown would add an ace, five digs, and three blocks in the victory. 

In total, Brown averaged 4.50 kills and  5.42 points per set over the weekend, and helped the Broncos average 15.33 kills/set as a team and hit .283.

Oliver was part of a stalwart defensive effort for the Broncos, averaging 6.83 digs per set in two matches. Oliver had a match-high 23 digs against Central Michigan on Friday, a total greater than the combined sum of CMU's top two digs producers in the match.  The Broncos held the Chippewas to just a .106 hitting percentage in the match, and out-dug them 53-39.  Oliver was similarly impressive on Saturday against the Eagles, recording a match-high 18 digs as the Broncos out-dug the Eagles 66-59.  WMU held the Eagles to just a .102 hitting percentage, and all told, the Broncos' opponents were held to a total .104 hitting percentage over the weekend.