After helping the Seattle University volleyball team post a 4-1 record in Tennessee and Florida over the past week, senior middle blocker Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) has been named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week, announced Monday morning by the league office.
Seattle U started the week with the final match of the Middle Tennessee Invitational, defeating the host Blue Raiders 3-1. Samadan led the Redhawks with 14 kills and a .481 hitting percentage, plus she collected two assists, three digs, and three total blocks. She was named to the All-Tournament Team, helping Seattle U to a 2-1 record in the tournament with 35 kills against just four attack errors for a .508 hitting percentage, plus four assists, nine digs, and 12 total blocks.
In Florida, Samadan helped Seattle U to three victories in four matches, starting with an 11-kill, seven-dig, four-block performance during the Redhawks’ 3-1 victory over Central Florida last Friday morning. Later Friday evening, she collected 12 kills on a .348 hitting percentage against a tough Miami squad.
The next day, Samadan started with eight kills against just one attack error for a .467 hitting percentage, plus six total blocks as the Redhawks swept Bethune-Cookman. In the final match of the weekend, she finished with 11 kills, a .381 hitting percentage, three assists, two digs, and six total blocks as Seattle U defeated Florida International in four sets.
So far this season, Samadan leads the WAC with a .429 hitting percentage, plus she is third in the league in blocks per set (1.17) and seventh in kills per set (2.88). This is the second time since Samadan came to Seattle U that she has earned the conference’s player of the week award, previously earning the honor Oct. 21, 2013, after helping the Redhawks defeat Grand Canyon, Chicago State, and Missouri-Kansas City.
Seattle University, currently 8-5 in the 2015 season, begins conference play on the road this week, first taking on defending WAC regular season champion UMKC Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. local time (5 p.m. Pacific time) in a match that will be streamed on the WAC Digital Network (www.wacsports.com/live). The Redhawks then head to Chicago for a Saturday matinee against the Chicago State Cougars starting at 12 noon Central time.