MEMPHIS, Tenn. -University of Memphis junior Hajnalka Molnar was selected as Conference USA's Setter of the Week, the league office announced Monday.
"I am proud of Hajni and thankful to the conference for recognizing her achievements for the second time this year," University of Memphis head coach April Jauregui said. "We have a strong history here at Memphis of very good setters--setters who have achieved multiple accolades. Hajni fits right into that category. She is a wonderful young lady and a pleasure to coach. The scary thing is that she has so much more room to grow, and I am excited to see what she can do during this demanding conference schedule. She is our captain and our leader."
Molnar currently leads the NCAA in assists per set (12.48 a/s) and helped lead Memphis to three more victories last weekend. The Tigers turned in straight-set victories in the Spartan Spiketacular over tournament-host UNC-Greensboro and Howard in addition to a 3-1 win against Radford.
Molnar registered 118 assists in the three matches and netted a tournament-best 49 assists in the victory over Radford. She also accounted for 36 assists and a career-high tying five service aces against UNCG. This is the second Setter of the Week honor for Molnar this season.
C-USA WEEKLY VOLLEYBALL AWARDS for matches played from Sept. 12-18_Week 4
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK TYLER HENDERSON, TULSA // 5-10, JR., OH // OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. Henderson was named to the all-tournament team at the Tar Heel Classic after averaging 5.00 kills and 5.27 points per set, leading Tulsa to three wins and a tournament championship over the weekend. She totaled 55 kills and hit .277, adding five blocks and eight digs in the three big wins. On Friday, Henderson led Tulsa to a road win at North Carolina with 20 kills. Saturday, she put up 16 kills and two blocks in a win over Saint Louis, and became Tulsa's career kills leader with 19 against Miami (Ohio). She added three blocks and three digs against the Redhawks. Henderson owns 12 career Offensive Player of the Week accolades and has tallied back-to-back weekly honors for the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HEATHER THOMAS, UAB // 5-7, SR., L // MADISON, ALA. Thomas was named MVP of the Creighton Classic after she averaged a stellar 6.73 digs per set as UAB's defense held opponents to an attacking clip of just .128, second lowest in the league for the week. The Blazers went a perfect 3-0 to close out non-conference play with a 10-2 record, the best start to a season through 12 games since 2005. The Madison, Ala., native recorded match highs in each contest for UAB as Thomas corralled 24-or-more digs versus each weekend opponent and upped her season digs average to 5.47 digs per set. She added five service aces, two extremely important ones against McNeese State on Friday afternoon. With the score knotted at 25 in the fourth set, Thomas stepped to the line and calmly laced back-to-back aces to claim the victory and avoid a deciding set with the Cowgirls. She now has 1,746 career digs, 12th all-time in Conference USA history. It is her second all-tournament team honor for the season and first career C-USA Defensive Player of the Week accolade.
SETTER OF THE WEEK Hajnalka Molnar, MEMPHIS // 5-9, JR., S // BUDAPEST, HUNGARY Molnar, the NCAA assists per set leader, continued her strong play with 118 assists in three matches at the Spartan Spiketacular last weekend. Memphis claimed its third preseason championship with straight-set wins over host UNC-Greensboro and Howard plus a 3-1 victory over Radford. She had a tournament-best 49 assists in the win over Radford and fell just one dig shy of her third double-double of the season. Molnar also accounted for 36 assists and had a career-high tying five service aces against UNCG. This marks the second Setter of the Week honor for Molnar this season.
