INDIANAPOLIS -- UIC sophomore middle hitter Sara Sternard (Claredon Hills, Ill.) has been named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week while Green Bay senior libero Brittany Groth (Oak Creek, Wis.) earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.
It is the first weekly award of the season for Sternard and the third for Groth, who was also honored for the weeks of Aug. 27 and Sept. 24.
Sternard was key in UIC's 3-2 win over in-city rival Loyola, locking up the No. 2 seed for the Flames in this weekend's Horizon League tournament. The sophomore totaled 13 kills and led the match with a career-high .684 hitting percentage, besting her previous career mark by over 80 points. She made noise defensively as well, leading the match with eight total blocks.
Groth, meanwhile, had a match-high 27 digs on Friday night at Wright State, setting a new school record with 1,836 career digs. She also broke her own school record for digs in a season by totaling 22 on Saturday night in Valparaiso.
For the career milestone, Groth surpassed the 1,789 posted by Megan Elfering from 2005-08. She had set the season record last season with 659 before breaking her own mark over the weekend.
Both Sternard and Groth will return to action this weekend as UIC and Green Bay compete in the Horizon League Tournament hosted by No. 1 ranked Cleveland State.
Other Top Performers of the Week
MaryKate Imrie, UIC (Jr., S) - Imrie helped drive UIC's win over Loyola with a match-high 56 assists while also contributing three kills, six digs and two block assists.
Lyndsay Zabkowicz, Green Bay (Jr., OH) - Zabkowicz led the Pheonix with 22 kills in two matches over the weekend and added an assist, an ace, 15 digs and three block assists.
Mary Dent, Valparaiso (Sr., OH) - In two home matches during her senior weekend, Dent led the Crusaders with 21 kills with two digs and two total blocks as Valpo swept Green Bay and Milwaukee.
Ellen Vanden Berg, Valparaiso (Jr., MH) - Vanden Berg totaled 12 blocks in the two sweeps and now has 137 on the season, which ranks as the sixth-highest single season total in school history. She also added 13 kills and two digs.
Kara Koch, Cleveland State (Sr., OH) - Koch posted her 15th double-double of the season with 18 kills and 12 digs against Youngstown State, adding an ace and two block assists. She became the fifth Viking to record both 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
Amanda Medvetz, Cleveland State (Sr., L) - Medvetz posted a team-high 14 digs in the sweep of Youngstown State, marking her 25th match of the season with double-digits digs.
