2008 Woodie Awards
Nichole James earns volleyball national player of the week
Ayobamidele Bello
Issue date: 10/20/04 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
James, a senior from White Oak, Texas, was actually named both the Southland Conference Player of the Week and the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week after helping McNeese to a 2-1 record over the Sept. 24 weekend. The record-setting game was against the University of Texas-Arlington, which came to Lake Charles with an undefeated SLC record prior to the match.
With the victory over Texas-Arlington, James had the match of her career by setting a McNeese and SLC single-match record with 44 kills. The 44 kills are also the sixth best single-match output for a four-game match in National Collegiate Athletic Association history since the introduction of the all-rally scoring system in 2001.
This is an honor that she will be able to cherish for a long time as she is the first McNeese female athlete to receive a national player of the week honor and only the second in the SLC. Sam Houston State University's Julie Franzen earned the honor in 1993.
During the week surrounding Sept. 24, James collected a total of 94 kills (6.71 per game), 64 digs (4.57 per game), 10 blocks and a .398 hitting percent after having played Nicholls State University three days earlier and Sam Houston State University a day later.
"I've never felt that way before; I was just in a zone," said James.
During the Texas-Arlington match, James had 84 attempts for a .464 hitting percent. She collected 17 kills in the fourth game alone, while the rest of the team accounted for seven in the 30-25 final score.
"I told setter Kara Gaston to get her (James) the ball. We weren't trying to break any records; we were just trying to win a match. I'm extremely proud of her for stepping up. It's a weekend that you don't want to end," said Head Coach Dale Starr. "She has really been working harder this season and is approaching the game a lot different from the way she used too. If she keeps on with her performance, the team should definitely make it to the conference tournament."