SPRINGFIELD, MASS.- Freshman middle Mackenzie Guerre (Carlsbad, Calif.) and freshman setter Alleigh VandeMerkt (Riverside, Ill.) were named Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week respectively in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Guerre records Endicott's first Player of the Week award of the season while VandeMerkt takes home the program's second straight rookie of the week.
Guerre has now won awards in back to back weeks as the freshman was able to take home Rookie of the Week honors in the previous week. The middle continued to improve her season numbers as she played an enormous role in Endicott's two conference wins this past week. Guerre knocked down nine kills on 22 attempts in a three set victory over Eastern Nazarene on Tuesday while also adding four aces, two digs, a solo block and an assist block for a total of 14.5 points. Guerre saved her best for last as the Gulls hosted Salve Regina on Saturday as part of Endicott's Homecoming Weekend. With Salve Regina coming into the matchup undefeated in conference play, the Gulls knew they would need Guerre to play a great match and she did not disappoint. Mackenzie dominated the middle to the tune of 18 kills on 41 swings with only two errors for a .390 hitting percentage. She also chipped in one dig and two assist blocks for a match-high 19 points. For the week, the middle tallied 27 kills with four errors on 63 attempts. Her .333 hitting percentage on the week led the team as did her four total blocks (1 S, 3 A) and her four aces. Guerre is now hitting a team-high .291 on the season and has a team-leading 41 total blocks.
VandeMerkt has seen a steady improvement in her play that was instrumental in the Gulls sweeping their week's matches. The freshman setter averaged 10.75 assists per set by collecting 32 in their three set win over Eastern Nazarene before exploding with 54 in the thrilling five set victory over Salve. The 54 assists set a career-high for the freshman as she eclipsed the 50 assist total for the second time in the last two weeks. Along with her impressive quarterbacking of the offense, VandeMerkt has also been steady on defense as she averaged 2.5 digs per set on her way to picking up 20 on the week. The setter now has the team hitting a season-high .151 as she has accumulated 448 assists to this point as well as 126 digs.
The Gulls are now on the road for their next four matches as they travel to Hartford, Conn. to take on Trinity College Tuesday night at 7 p.m. before heading to Chicago for a weekend tournament. In Chicago, Endicott will face a couple of nationally ranked teams in Elmhurst and the University of Chicago while also facing Wheaton (Ill.). Elmhurst is ranked #11 in the most recent AVCA poll while Chicago is ranked #14. Endicott plays Wheaton (Ill.) on Friday at 6:00 p.m. before squaring off against Elmhurst and Chicago on Saturday at 10 a.m. & 12 p.m. (CST).
